Whitby100

Having just disembarked at Barcelona at the end of September I find this very interesting. The mall, walkways and restaurants by the World Trade Center seemed filled with cruisers, not locals. (We walked back from our apartment during the following week after we disembarked). The mall was weak at best. I think without cruisers a lot of these businesses would suffer. I suspect there is a disconnect between the locals and their political representatives, and the local businesses. Adding coaches to shuttle from distant ports isn’t going to help pollution or congestion. It will be interesting to see this play out.

I took my own water bottle (the one I received on my last Emerald river cruise). I had it filled with ice water at breakfast or Mosaic, no problem.

I’m not sure I understand what the full refund offer is. I presume I will lose the deposit if I cancel for no reason but would use personal cancellation insurance for medical issues - as I would for any vacation, not just a cruise. Perhaps cancellation insurance is a country specific option.

I may need a lesson in technology, but don’t you need internet to use a QR code? If so, what do those guests without do? If not, thanks for the tip.

We have never sailed on Onward but the other 3 ships have all been fine for our breakfast needs. I initiated the question because I was deciding if I needed to pack thermal mugs in case I was popping to Mosaic and bringing back. I would do that if we had to call and wait, but if we can preorder I won’t bother. It must be on a cruise with lots of sea days I did that in the past and I wouldn’t have wanted to set an alarm. This one is port intensive so we will up and ready to go most days. Thanks again.

So TA OBC can be used upon boarding, and it is wise to have proof from TA that there is OBC from them?

Just referred someone today and am in the midst of trying to find out if we get some sort of referral benefit.

Thanks - we have used it many times I just couldn’t remember the method of ordering. We only eat a continental breakfast so it’s perfect on our balcony. Cheers!

We have enjoyed room service for breakfast on previous cruises but can’t remember whether we can pre-order with a menu on a door tag the night before, or whether we need to call and order in the morning. Can someone please let me know? 😊

Don’t assume they haven’t debited your credit card. I found a $25 charge from AZ on my credit card when I reviewed my last statement. No reason for them to do this so I had my TA call. They informed her it had already been credited back but no explanation was given for the initial charge. I will monitor ….

Yikes! I called AZ directly and used my OBC to book shore excursions. It was painless and it does show up in my AZ web profile. Good luck

I do recommend using one of the US cruise websites to find available cabins. Even my TA who is a major player in the Canadian travel market could not see all the available cabins when I booked my 2025 cruise. I told her which cabin I wanted based on availability showing on US site. It did not appear in her AZ portal, but, on my insistence, when she called AZ it was available and booked it.

What you have listed plus my husband’s collared shirts - came back perfect. I sent a pair of shorts and they came back looking brand new. I save all my delicate and easily hand washed for myself.

We have been given 7 days grace in the past so perhaps ‘right away’ needs to be pretty quick. It is an AZ fee in North America.

Got it. I have only sailed AZ so my points are accurate from before the split.

Can someone explain more fully ‘since I had previously sailed, my status will be Discovery Plus’. Thanks.

Thanks Grandma Cruising!

I don’t believe bars of soap are provided but pretty sure there were wall dispensers with shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. Towels are there. Now I am curious if bars of soap are provided in cabin?

We just booked the Montreal to Iceland itinerary. The port of L’Anse aux Meadow is very exciting. It’s a long drive from anywhere in Newfoundland so this will be perfect. Quebec City is a fabulous city - been many times and always happy to return. Montreal for embarkation is a dream - no jet lag for us Canadians and a simple train trip too. Montreal is another favourite destination - we will definitely spend a few nights in advance. For wine lovers - many restaurants allow you to bring your own wine (or beer) with no corkage fee. Can’t wait!

Thanks for the info - I’ll hope for savings/perks once onboard in September. Our TA actually was showing limited availability in our preferred category (V2) so we didn’t want to risk missing out and booked. She was surprised at the limited availability showing but said her system was lagging and freezing. She seemed to imply it was connected to her TA system - Since Montreal was a new embarkation point for AZ her system was not ready to invoice me. I have an AZ confirmation number and she was help ticketing the big box head office for assistance.

I am wondering if rebooking an existing reservation while on ship is possible. I have just reserved for 2025 with a TA. We are sailing with AZ this Sept. We are loyalty members. By booking now instead of onboard in September we are missing our loyalty booking discounts.We did not want to wait because we wanted secure a preferred cabin. Can we cancel and rebook onboard ( paying $75 per person) to get loyalty onboard booking perks? Any tips would be appreciated.

My kids drink a lot of flavoured sparkling water, 0% alcohol beer and wine, reduced alcohol wine and mocktails. If Phil has noticed poor sparkling water selection, I suspect the next generation will too.

Non alcoholic packages would be a smart idea, particularly if they wish to attract younger crowds, as they apparently drink far less than their parents.

Riocca, I’d love to know the name of that excursion and port. You’ve provided the details, but omitted what I would find helpful. In a new thread, others would find it, rather than buried here.

Mrs. Miggins’s experience is my nightmare. Since destinations are often repeated and thus, so are shore excursions on offer, perhaps a thread where shore excursions are reviewed would be beneficial? I’d like to know about great ones, and I’d sure like to avoid bad ones. We could identify port, name of excursion and a quick summary clearly identifying if it’s a pro or con experience. I’d suggest only great or horrible reviews so it doesn’t get too clogged up.