futian

5 hours ago, Riocca said:

I understand the problem cruise lines have with Fever Tree, with Royal Club coming from Heineken and Schweppes from Coca-Cola with bulk buying the cost is going to be very low. But Fever Tree as an independent brand is going to be very expensive in comparison, a compromise for Azamara would be to offer it with the Ultimate Package as they do with the premium bottled waters. I’ve seen this working with another cruise line where fountain Coke was included on the basic package but cans on the upgraded package.

 

 

The problem I have with the lines is they have it,  (most of the time), but do not seem to want to use it. When I am paying for a  premium brand gin like The Botanist, I want a premium tonic with it.

6 hours ago, uktog said:

And once located always have your +tonic in the same bar 

Absolutely ...yes because the bar staff get to know your preference 

11 hours ago, hamrag said:

I too detest RC tonic, prefer FT but happy with Schweppes. We were on Seabourn a couple of weeks ago, and absolutely astounded that RC is served in every bar. The cabin steward provided FT for our minibar, so it's on the ship but apparently NOT served in any bar...incredible on what is supposed to be a luxury cruiseline!

 

Every other aspect of the cruise was very good or excellent. That said, our next cruises B2B are Azamara, booked a couple of days ago. Ordinarily we just wouldn't pay Seabourn prices, we had a special wedding anniversary and decided to splurge.

Oh dear  ....... the mysteries of Fever Tree and cruise lines.....(they seem to treat it like gold dust)

Azamara Quest in April this year and the first response from bar waiter was "Sorry we don't have this onboard!". After pursuing this with barman I found they did have it onboard and was able to have Fever Tree for the rest of the cruise no problem.

Seabourn recently and same initial response ("not available)" from waiting staff....spoke to Bar Manager and Fever Tree was available for the rest of the cruise no problem.

Saga at Xmas and New Year, same thing, had to speak with bar manager to get success.

Oceania Vista ....Just off after 3 weeks and guess what...initial response in Horizons lounge  was "sorry not available" followed later by "well we only stock it in our mixology bar!".....spoke to Bar Manager and hey presto, it was now available in Horizons lounge for the rest of the cruise.

I should also say that in all 4 cases, they all kept the Fever Tree under the bar counter and was never on display. (Very precious stuff that FT)

So the motto of this story is ask and escalate to the bar manager.

We were on Quest for 2 weeks in April and was able to have Fever Tree with The Botanist every night without fail....?

On Celebrity Edge just now and at the captains talk he said all four European shipyards are fully booked for the next 12 years !!!

I too was due to be on one of the Black Sea cruises in few months time, but I do not think I will be going and would be very surprised if Azamara even enter the Black Sea given the current situation and the rising cost of maritime insurance for this area......

https://gcaptain.com/black-sea-insurance-rates-soar-as-nato-fails-to-protect-commercial-shipping

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It seemed like a good idea, until this current cruise on Oceania showed us how much better it is when the entire ship is up to/above Retreat standards...

just curious......which ship were you on in The Retreat?

If your looking for a slightly more upmarket experience on Celebrity, The Retreat is worth a try......

It is all suites and I found it to be very good value.

Its own restaurant, Luminae was excellent.

It also has its own Sundeck and Lounge.....but you still have the advantage of the "big ship " for shows and entertainment, if that's your thing. 

19 hours ago, gbphipps said:

We were on the Quest for B2B cruises from December 10th through January 7th.  We had a great first cruise (Dec 7th-23rd) but after Christmas I tested positive for covid without symptoms, despite being triple vaccinated, extremely careful and only having left the ship once in both cruises.  I was isolated for 10 days in a tiny ocean view cabin and my husband as a close contact was quarantined for 10 days in our suite even though he tested negative throughout. They never retested me after they verified my first initial antigen test with a PCR.  We were promised that we would hear from Azamara within a week following disembarkation regarding an FCC for the 2/3 of our $15,000 holiday cruise that we missed but so far we only received an email sent to all guests onboard offering $300-$500 onboard credit for a new booking for the ports missed due to covid onboard.  When will we hear from Azamara?  When will their promises be fulfilled?  We have several future cruises already booked in suites and are contemplating canceling since we have not been made whole from this whole covid fiasco onboard.  Isolation and quarantine alone with food in cardboard boxes is no way to spend New Year’s Eve.  I am sure all would agree.  It was depressing to the max and I am still experiencing PTSD from that claustrophobic solitary confinement experience.  The man in the next tiny solitary cell beat the walls and the windows until they let him out.  I was compliant to all they asked, despite feeling like a leper in my small cell.  I am frankly afraid to take another cruise anytime soon as I dont know if I could survive mentally a repeat of this experience.

I am so sorry to hear of your awful experience, but I thank you for having the courage to report back on this forum.

It is possible to understand why Azamara wanted to use Oceanview cabins next to the Medical Centre initially when cruising restarted as they did not know what to expect regarding the severity of Covid cases, but to still be using them (as opposed to Balcony cabins) cannot be right.

I have had many brilliant cruises with Azamara and currently have 4 booked, but I will be seriously considering cancelling if this issue is not addressed.

Come on Azamara..... you can do better than this!

2 hours ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

I'd ask for clarification but they seem to have me marked down as a troublemaker after the shore excursion complaint and I don't want to risk more attention!

Thanks....I'm sure it will come up in conversations sometime during your cruise.....have a good one👍

While I fully understand the need for cruise lines to quarantine Covid positive passengers and keeping them all in one area for logistical reasons, I am not impressed with Azamara's policy to apparently quarantine in Oceanview cabins.

These cabins (approx 8x18 ft), which have no access to any fresh air and low light levels due to the small window, must be the stuff of nightmares for anyone having to isolate alone for possibly up to 10 days!

I note from quarantine reports that other cruise lines are using balcony cabins and I do think Azamara should consider sectioning off some balcony cabins, which have far better light levels, access to fresh air and a place to sit outside during what could be (going on accounts I've read), a long, lonely and depressing existence in isolation.

I'd be interested to hear the views from anyone who has had to isolate in an Oceanview cabin.

14 minutes ago, Scots Caz said:

post on Azamara UK Facebook page says "the call to la gomera has been cancelled due to high winds around the port' (also had video from sail out from port yesterday so not sure what other port was missed)

It was probably also the weather that caused the ship to sail past El Herrio, the other missed port.

Thanks for the update.

Just noticed that it looks as if Journey has missed its last 2 ports of call in the Canaries.

I may have missed it, but does anyone know the reason for this? 

17 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

 

  

 

The port speaker on the ship is excellent and it demonstrates this line's investment in destination immersion.  THIS is a difference.  I'm considering an Oceania itinerary, but it would be hard to believe they could match Azamara in this area.  I would only choose Oceania for the price difference (thinking Japan in 2021 and Azamara has overheated pricing).  

 

 

I am very pleased to hear you have an excellent destination speaker on your cruise. It can make such a difference to a cruise.

Unfortunately we have had variable success with Azamara destination speakers.

 Last year on our 3 week South America cruise, the first speaker had to be shown the gangway after his first lecture!

The replacement speaker I think lasted 2 lectures before he also was shown the gangway!

And on our cruise just finished to Taiwan and the Philippines (a one-off itinerary that was unique for Azamara), there was NO destination speaker at all !!!

Having said that, we have always found Chuck to be excellent and he really does his homework.