terry&mike

We were able to borrow one from our cabin steward last August. Came home from that trip and purchased a champagne stopper to live in our travel gear, along with the ever-present wine opener.

I love Vietnam! Hubby and I did a cruise in January 2020 that visited those same ports, and thoroughly enjoyed them, Vietnam was our favorite of a 14 day cruise that visited several Asian countries. We went back to Vietnam in December/January of this year and spent a week in Hoi An on our own, went to Hanoi and HaLong Bay, and spent a few nights in Saigon, as part of a longer trip. I posted details on the Princess board on our first trip, and on the River Cruise board on our second trip (this one is very detailed), and probably made some post on this Asia board. I think you can find them by clicking on my Avatar and looking at my previous posts. I'd search them and paste them for you hear but I am rushing to get to the airport for a hiking trip in Canada right now.

In the U.S., the client gives their credit card to the TA, and the TA posts the payment directly to the cruise line through the online booking portal (unless the TA is not computer savvy, then they call the cruise line to have the payment posted). The client's card is charged by the cruise line. A confirmation is generated from the cruise line booking portal by the TA, and passed on to the client, showing the payment, and other booking details. It sounds like in the U.K. that things are different in that the client pays the TA, the funds are held by the TA, and then the TA pays the cruise line from travel agency funds. (This does happen occasionally in the US, but is a red flag that something is amiss when it happens here, as it is not standard.) Edited to add: uktog confirmed this form of payment arrangement while I was posting. I can see where there would be a problem. Are they close enough to the TA's office to stop in, or to contact the Owner/Manager of this office, to get proof that the TA paid Azamara? Their agent should be able to access their booking on Azamara's TA portal and start working from that point - I'm guessing that the Balance Due is probably an incorrect amount, due to a system error from the data migration, and that some internal accounting corrections may be necessary to right the booking.

When you call and they give you the amount, you may want to request that they email it to you as well, it will come in a similar format as below. This way you can print out the email and bring it along with you, and if there are any problems onboard it should speed the correction along. Dear Azamara Guest, We understand that onboard credit (OBC) amounts on Azamara.com are incorrect or not visible for some of your reservations. We are working on fixing this. In the meantime, please know we have the original OBC amount in our system as reflected below. 2803XXX (your booking number will be here, I have partially blocked this one) - USD$1000

JaneStarr is correct. Cruise lines operate under different terms with the airlines for contracted "cruise air", often giving them healthy discounts, and the ability to book and hold flights for passengers and not pay for them until close to travel. This is not Azamara specific, but applicable to cruise lines in general who offer air as a trip component. They often offer several tiers of air, such as non-refundable air which is booked and paid for immediately by the client, and ticketed at that time, and is more restrictive; or refundable air which is booked, and not paid for by the client until they pay their final payment, and not ticketed by the cruise line until generally 30-60 days out (with appr 45 days out seeming to be the sweet spot), and is more flexible in that it can be cancelled or changed up until final payment. You can best see this in practice if you book a cruise with Princess, either direct or through a TA, then access your booking online and select the option to add air, once you put in your parameters of dates and places, it gives you itinerary options to select from with a choice of Flexible or Restricted air, and the prices for each. In all cases you receive a record locator for the air booking, and can see your booking on the airline's web site, whether ticketed or not. Depending on the airline, and the class of ticket that was booked, you can sometimes select seats in advance for free, sometimes select seats in advance for a fee, and sometimes you must wait until check in for seats. Often times cruise air is a heavily discounted rate that can not be upgraded to a higher cabin class, but that is not always the case. Some clients like to use cruise air as they generally get a cheaper price, and do not have to pay for their air until final payment; some clients hate cruise air because it can add an extra layer of people to navigate when things go astray.

I would save Antarctica for a separate trip, and go with a company that gets you "boots on the ground" to Antarctica, rather than just a sail by as in your first itinerary posted, the experience is magical and the wildlife encounters are stunning. We went with Ponant, and it was magnificent. Ideally, for Antarctica, choose an itinerary that will get you the Falklands, South Georgia Islands, and Antarctica (we did one named "Beyond the Polar Circle"). So, if you are going to save Antarctica for a separate trip, then I would select itinerary 2, which is a popular South America itinerary, giving you bits of city, beach, nature, wildlife, scenic sailing.

Avoid wearing black or navy tops, as this tends to attract tsetse flies.

Yes, this is correct, I am dealing with client bookings, as well as personal bookings. I heartily agree with Grandma Cruising's advice, and as you can imagine I very much wish that none of my clients would try to look at their accounts online during this time. If incorrect loyalty account numbers and loyalty status, or guests not being able to see their cruises when they log in, were the only issues I was dealing with, I'd be thrilled. I understand these issues will be fixed by the end of June, and I am hopeful this is true. I am currently dealing with air issues, missing confirmed/paid amenities such as Indulgence Packages and Gifts, bookings that were paid in full now showing money due, bookings that are coming due showing incorrect balances due, missing commissions. I have an Executive Guest Relations Representative that I am working with on my bookings. We have an incredibly lengthy email chain, along with many separate emails, attachments, documents, confirmations, and screen shots. My frustration is growing due to bookings that were fixed and problems solved, and then another error appears on that booking, beyond explanation.

I am feeling frustrated this morning, moving between feeling defeated and anger. A booking I spent a great deal of time to get corrected, now has new errors on it. A booking that I have been striving to get corrected, has gone from bad to worse. Every time I think I am moving in a forward direction and making progress, I find out that I'm back at the beginning. I'm beginning to wish that I had nothing to do with any of this mess.

Agree with no tipping in Japan. In January 2020, just before Covid, I escorted a group of 29 on a 14 day cruise from Singapore to Tokyo on the Diamond Princess (the sailing before the quarantined sailing). We stopped in several different Asian ports, and each morning I reminded the group what the local "norm" was in tipping. We had 3 Japanese ports on the itinerary, and some members of the group said they felt odd not tipping our guides. In Tokyo, during some down time, I was discussing this with the guide while we waited for the group to return, and she explained it this way - as a tour guide, she is licensed, formally educated, and trained as a professional, and she is paid an appropriate salary for her job and her skills. She likened it to that a person would not tip their Doctor. In these instances, if you really want something to give, a small, appropriate gift may be nice. I had brought along a gift of a cute ink pen with a United States theme, in red, white and blue, that had sparkly stars in water that swirled around when you moved the pen; she loved it.

The cruise piers in Barcelona have some of the best set ups for embarking and disembarking. The ship is right at the terminal, and the terminal is right at the parking area, and taxis and cars can pull right up to the terminal doors. It's managed quite well.

We have done several safaris in the past, and have traveled to several African nations. We will be returning to Africa in late February where we will go Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, and then on safari across Kenya and Tanzania. We find that being covered is the key in keeping biting, stinging, rash-causing items at bay. This would look like long pants, long sleeve shirt, neck gator, hat (or thin shirt with built in hoodie). If you'll be doing some walking/trekking, wear higher socks that you can tuck your pants in to (keeps ants and other biting insects from coming up your pant leg), and comfortable hiking boots or shoes with traction. For jungle type areas, a cheap pair of gardening gloves goes a long way to protect your hands. We also use Picaridin Insect Repellent (we use the lotion one, made by Sawyer, can be purchased at outdoor suppliers or other places).

We sailed the Spain intensive itinerary last summer, from Barcelona to Lisbon. We had our Azamazing Evening in Valencia, and it was very entertaining. The theme of the show was a theater that had closed, and the acts performing - there was dance, music, acrobatics, humor. Our White Nights party was in Malaga. Not sure what your itinerary will hold.

You really don't need a tour company in Nha Trang. Just take a taxi from the tender pier area to the beach area. Spend the day at the beach, strolling around, get a massage, pick a seafood place for lunch, etc. Take a taxi back.

And it should be mentioned that "skip legging", or hidden city ticketing, where you intentionally don't fly all of your booked flight itinerary, is frowned upon by the airlines, and is against their contract of carriage, but it is not illegal. So, if you choose to do this, then be sure to book your independent Atlanta to Philadelphia leg on a different airline/code share partner than your cruise air.

Actually, you do pass through Customs, you just may not realize it. When you collect your bags in Atlanta, which every passenger on the Paris to Atlanta flight who checked bags must do, you will walk past a podium with a person standing at it. This person may or may not stop you, but you will walk past them - this is U.S. Customs. You will walk through a set of doorways just past them, and there will be an area to your right of baggage handlers taking your luggage and throwing it on conveyors where it will continue on to your next flight leg. Usually, you return your luggage to them and go up the escalator and on to your next flight. This is where you can choose to bypass the last leg, keep your luggage, and continue straight on through the next set of doorways and out into the general population pre-security area of the Atlanta airport. Your bags will not be checked all the way through to Philly, as all checked bags must be claimed at the first point of entry into the United States, which on this flight itinerary is Atlanta.

Well, yes and no..... Technically, you will be collecting your bags when you land in Atlanta, to clear Customs. After clearing Customs, you could decide not to give your bags back to the handlers, and walk out the doors for passengers who are not connecting and go to your hotel and spend the night. Return the next day and take the flight you purchased on your own from Atlanta to Philly home. Here's where you might have a problem. Your ticket A, bought by the cruise line, is not connected to your ticket B, bought by you. If your flights on ticket A get delayed and you do not make it to ATL as scheduled, and miss your flight on ticket B, that is on you, not on the airline, as they are not connected tickets (although you could still take that final air leg that the cruise line has you booked on ticket A, so you'd be fine). Also, with the many flight time changes and route changes that occur, it's very possible that you could have changes that could effect every thing from flight times to layover cities. My personal opinion is that it will be a long day of flying, layovers, connections. Best to just put in the time on the route that you have booked on ticket A, and get home when it gets you home, even if it's the middle of the night. You'll be tired, but you'll get there. If you take a pause on your journey to spend 1 night in Atlanta, you'll still be very tired the next day when you fly on to Philly, and probably dreading the thought of it. If you are worried about getting to your home from Philly airport in the middle of the night, maybe you could spend the night at an airport location hotel in Philly, and head on home when you wake up the next morning.

The transition to the new site went live the last week in March, 2023.

We were in Valencia last August with Azamara, and they had a complimentary shuttle to town. It stopped right at the large park (that used to be a river), near the old town area.

Same

I have used Uber in the past in B.A., and all was well. It is worth noting that Uber is sometimes legal and sometimes illegal in B.A., as there is always a conflict between Uber and the strong taxi unions there. Because of this, Uber cannot pick up in some areas - for example, Uber will not pick up at the port on disembarkation, only taxis will be there (we plan to walk the 20 minutes to our hotel). Using Uber for pickup at EZE airport can be challenging, as you will need to find your car, there is no designated area for them, and taxi drivers give them a difficult time, so they are scarce; it's easier to be dropped off at the airport by Uber than to be picked up. From the airport, you might want to consider having your hotel arrange your transfer. To the airport, you should have more options, check to see the status of Uber at the time, and check with the front desk of your hotel to see about them calling you a taxi and the rate. Taxis can be a bit of the wild in B.A., and best to have them called for you by a business (restaurant, hotel) rather than hailed on the street. Some options from the airport are mentioned here https://secretsofbuenosaires.com/how-get-from-or-go-to-the-international-airport-ezeiza-to-buenos-aires/ On this particular trip, we don't have a "from EZE airport" leg, as our Azamara cruise starts in Barbados and ends in Buenos Aires 22 days later.

We have a similar situation in December, when we disembark in B.A. in the morning and fly out in the middle of the night to return home. We have been to B.A. twice before, so have done the usual tourist things. If you have not, you may want to consider hiring a guide to tour you around the highlights of B.A., and spend a day that way. Our plan on this trip is this - I booked a hotel room for 1 night at NH Buenos Aires Florida, which isn't too far from the port area, is inexpensive, and well rated. We will go there when we disembark and drop our luggage with them first. We will then visit the Reserva Ecologica Constanera Sur park for long walk, birds, etc. Stroll around a bit. Next, we'll have a nice late lunch at a steakhouse. After lunch, we will return to the hotel and check in to our room, take a nap/relax, then shower and freshen up, and take an Uber to the airport later that night.

I can't speak to what types of regulations you will face in Europe, but I have done something similar in Mexico. For 8 years, hubby and I owned a beach house in Mexico. Several times, when we found great cruise deals, we would load up an extra suitcase or 2 with things that were either difficult to find, or expensive to buy, in Mexico, and items that we just wanted to bring down there. During embarkation, we had one instance when the bags were going through the scanner, where we were questioned, and I said it was a gift for a friend that I was seeing along the way. This was a set of cooking pans. The biggest challenges came when we would bring the items off the ship, in the port stop where our home was located. We were stopped each time, items checked, bags checked, lots of questions. Usually, I said the items were gifts. The last time we did it, we were given a piece of paper with a copy of language from the cruise contract, that explicitly forbids using the cruise line to transport goods or cargo not for personal use. After that, we decided it wasn't worth the hassle and worry, and did not attempt it again. I think you would be fine if it's not too much stuff, and if it's mostly clothing and other personal items, but you should prepare for ship staff and port authorities to give you some hassle.

Sometimes "cruise air" can offer significant savings over air bought on the open market. In this case, the clients were able to buy round trip, multi city air from a smaller US airport to sail a Med cruise for a total of $2100 for 2 people in Economy, and select a very good route with 1 connection in each direction. At the time of purchase, that route was running about $2900 total for the 2 of them directly from the airline. Generally speaking, involving a third party in an airline purchase is not something I am a fan of, because it's just one extra level of involvement that needs to be navigated, but in some instances the savings are worth it. Also, it should be noted that some cruise lines do not allow clients to select their flight routes, you pay their air price and the cruise line selects the route, making this not a positive setup. In the case of Azamara (and Cunard, Princess, several others), the client selects the route they like, days they are arriving/returning, cities, etc, and is given a price.

This should happen about 30 days out from departure. I’ll keep an eye on it to make sure all goes as planned.