GlobalMethod

On 10/21/2023 at 7:11 AM, Riocca said:

Heike is now with Explora Voyages and Captain Carl is on leave returning to Onward in November.

We're glad Heike got what she wanted ... she always went the extra mile for us. Explora is around $700 a night.

15 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

TCs for most, if not all, cruise lines contain a war clause that permits changes like these to be made and indemnifies the cruise line(s) from making relative changeTs if war like conditions exists.

Well said TF. One benefit of cruising versus other types of travel is this ability to salvage 'something' out of a change in circumstances.

In other travel you can be immobilized in a location for days or weeks due to political changes, weather, etc.

With Azamara this 'something' can still be a pleasant cruise voyage, perhaps not to the port a particular cruiser hoped for, but somewhere that can be explored.

We get great value for our travel euros in cruising with Azamara!

On 9/21/2023 at 8:51 PM, Dr H said:

I want the ambiance of the ship!

It is the ambiance of the ships plus the Azamara crews which bring us back. We have been fortunate enough to know quite a few of them for many years. They tell us they are well treated by Azamara and that is what brings them with their great customer care experience back to the ships, year after year.

17 hours ago, Dr H said:

I'd spoken to Heike

We so miss her!

On 6/29/2023 at 1:33 PM, shipgeeks said:

MDR, and traditional dining only, with the same table, same waiters, and same tablemates.

The waiter really has a significant impact on the overall dining experience, where ever it may be.

We prefer the more relaxed atmosphere in the MDR generally, where we can usually find a waiter with a sense of humor. That said we also usually have a SDR meal at least once a week, (we do a lot of b2b on Azamara) just for a change of atmosphere.

14 hours ago, weatherman46 said:

Does anyone know if the XD grade outside cabins on the Crystal have got mini-fridges?

Not that I know of ...

https://www.greek-*****/cruise-ships/cabins.asp?c=celestyal-cristal/XD

12 hours ago, Colorado5358 said:

GlobalMethod, I really appreciate reading your review, it is very helpful, thanks!

We’re debating about the Nov. 12 fourteen day trip vs Oceania’s on October 18. We like the ports of the Celestyal trip, and it has two less sea days than Oceania, but we’re concerned since we have read reviews on Celestyal of musty/moldy smells since it’s such an old ship. We would definitely enjoy and appreciate the luxury of Oceania but wonder if Celestyal would be ok and the smaller ship sounds good. We’re usually too tired after touring to take advantage of entertainment, so that’s not really a concern for us.

Does anyone have details about the dining experience, such as can you eat dinner on your balcony after a long day, or do you have to eat in the dining rooms? is the Buffett always available or only at breakfast/lunch? Why was it barely passable?

 

Also, how was the WiFi, embarkation, noise level in the rooms, laundry availability?

 

Thanks for any information you can give.

The thing with Celestyal is they have a low base price but everything else is additional, like room service. This is handled with an extra charge. So understanding that, you can eat on your balcony but with this extra charge. There is no room fridge.

I probably should have rated the buffet "fair" and not "barely passing". I really isn't bad for breakfast. As you can tell we are not really "buffet" people.

We didn't leave the ship at every port since we had been to most of them several times. WiFi had an additional charge attached but we didn't feel we needed it on board since it was always available right off the ship in most ports.

Embarkation is never too bad on a smaller ship with fewer passengers, so we had no complaints.

No washer/dryer area like on Azamara but they will do your laundry, but of course, for extra charges.

Noise levels were never a problem anywhere on the ship, including our cabin. (except for blasting announcements loudly in several languages)

In summary, we think Oceania is a lot more like our regular cruise line, Azamara. It would be our preference but Celestyal is great bang for the buck to see the Greek Islands ... just don't expect it to be a direct competitor to Azamara/Oceania in overall quality. We thought it was worth a "fling"!

19 hours ago, ejincali said:

Thanks for the info, GlobalMethod!!  Any comments on the ports and how long you were in them?  I'm especially interested in amount of time in Santorini.

I forgot to comment on the port of Milos. This was the only port we hadn't visited previously on this cruise. We did the paid excursion and were so glad we did. If you every wondered what it would be like to walk on the moon then you would have a good feel for it after visiting Milos. It is just a different type of volcanic reaction that occurred there with the volcanic ash. Very unique.

19 hours ago, ejincali said:

Thanks for the info, GlobalMethod!!  Any comments on the ports and how long you were in them?  I'm especially interested in amount of time in Santorini.

Santorini is always extremely crowded. We have been many times and didn't want to fight the crowds on this visit. We had other passengers tell us they regretted walking down the path to the tender port, which is steep. The cable car's pricing keeps going up and up. The actual time in port was 'different'. 4:30 PM to 2:00 AM

We just returned from our 1 week Celestyal Crystal. Every cruiser is different but for us our overall rating was "good". (using excellent, good, fair, barely passing, and avoid, as criteria standards). Considering all our cruises recently have been with Azamara, who we consider the best match for us, we were surprised at our overall impression being "good".

As I've written earlier in this thread, my previous research on Celestyal had caused me to have some basic concerns. Thus we considered this to just be just a "fling" cruise. If it worked out great but if it didn't this was the lowest pricing we've ever had on a cruise, so no big deal.

• Specifically food in dining rooms (not the buffet which was "barely passing") was varied, always hot, and well prepared. We were shocked at how good it was. (excellent) Of course, Greek food was emphasized and we love Greek food. 
• Wine, beer and selected spirits are included. Whisky was J.W. Red Label, Smirnoff Vodka, Bacardi Rum, and Beefeater Gin.
• There were about 500 guests and way too many crew on board to service 500 guests, so a lot of standing around. All were friendly, helpful, and courteous.
• The variety of entertainment for us was was 'good' and also a real surprise as it was much better than expected. However, about 1/3 of the songs performed were in English, 1/3 Greek and 1/3 Spanish.
• The items mentioned above in this comment are the most important to us. The items below were not positive but relatively minor.
• The interior of the ship was kept very clean ... but ... there were dirty outside windows throughout ship caused by accumulated dirt on the outside windows over time. This constantly bothered us. I finally was able to ask an officer about this and was told only that I wasn't the first to mention this. They were trying to hire people for this outside work. ???? (barely, barely passing)
• It has been mentioned that the ship is "dated". However, this was not really a big deal to us as on the whole. Everything was neat, clean and organized. However, our cabin only had two electrical outlets which did cause some logistical issues. (fair)
• As a whole the cabin seemed dated in the size of items in the cabin. I am 6 foot 2 inches and in the bathroom everything seemed designed for a much smaller person including a very low bathroom toilet seat. (barely passing)
• We had been spoiled by Azamara on not needing a cruise card for anything except boarding. With Celestyal we had to show the cruise card for every drink (even ice water). Very annoying. (barely passing)
• Most cruise companies do announcements in the language of the last country they were in and English. Celestyal does four or five languages loudly for each message throughout the ship and inside your cabin. Very annoying. (barely passing)

All in all we do plan on doing another Celestyal cruise. They do provide a compelling quality/value offering. We hope they can work on some of the mentioned minor issues. I have written to Celestyal directly.

On 5/31/2022 at 5:46 PM, thekidsandi said:

Thank you so much for your detailed response. That is what I was hoping to see. I was so excited about this cruise 2 years ago when I first booked it, but now I'm just not sure. I'll give it a couple more months and hopefully there will be some additional positive comments to get rid of my concerns.

We're taking a "fling" on June 11th ... it is hard to find current reviews on Celestyal but we saw enough to take a "fling" with them ... after all, we live in Athens ... we're prepared for a reduction from the standards of our regular small ship cruise line, Azamara ... so ... bring on the Jim Beam! ... 🙂 ...

1 hour ago, Ayden said:

There are definitely changes from what was standard in the past.  We booked our recent cruise and when we questioned the advertised quarterly discount  we were informed we had also booked last minute and low price which is nothing out if the ordinary but seems now there are more unwritten rules coming into play.

I strongly questioned the decision on our b2b bonus and they pulled the "fine print" ... some written rule that I'd never seen or heard of previously.

8 hours ago, java spot said:

It used to be that my TA would take care of back to back discounts. Now it seems the protocol is to submit a form provided by Azamara. (here is the link - https://www.azamara.com/plan/back-to-back-voyages).  I submitted this 2-3 weeks ago and have heard zero response. I do not know if I should assume that it has been lost,  that they are still "thinking" about it or what to  make of the non-response. Has anyone else used this form? Did you hear back after doing so? Any guidance greatly appreciated. In 10 years of Azamara cruising, I've not phoned them as between this board and Azamara  communications, I've felt  responses and answers were forthcoming.   

I've written a post on this subject. In our case, our usual b2b bonus was not paid since they said the  'last minute' price (cruise purchased 6 weeks ahead) I paid was so low. Previous b2b was purchased 5 weeks ahead and I got the b2b bonus. 

Music is so personal it is hard to get it right for everyone. We had the best cruise music ever on the Quest in December ... but ... it was live music at the pool area by the 4th Element band. They played classic rock almost every day. We hope we can find something like that next week on the Pursuit.

16 minutes ago, uktog said:

Great, more expense and hassle pushed over to us for our next cruise.

 

Do they really think we believe the statement "in the interests of welcoming you onboard and starting your voyage as quickly as possible....."  We all know the real reason

We' re doing a back to back with Azamara starting this Saturday. AFTER booking we found out that the usual $400 back to back bonus we received from them in the past was eliminated for us on this cruise. We were told this was because we booked these two cruises too close to embarkation. We booked this b2b 6 weeks prior to cruising and the previous b2b 5 weeks in advance. (we received the b2b bonus then with no problem in December of last year) ... 

We were told this was because we received a special low last minute rate and that eliminated our eligibility for the b2b bonus. This stung since I like to use the b2b bonus for an upgraded drink package. We have since decided to book our next Cruise journey with Celebrity for a transatlantic rather than the Azamara transatlantic cruise we were planning.

As you say, I think we all know the real reason for these additional assessments. If they would announce them prior to charging you, and/or, taking your money, that would be different.

Doing it after you've come to a cruising agreement with them is a huge negative.

21 hours ago, mitz18 said:

Has anyone had the experience of booking with a TA but before final payment due that TA has gone out of business?  Just wondering how the line would handle a situation like that since it was not booked direct (presuming the line did get the deposit).  It has not happened to me, just wondering if anyone has had that experience?   TIA

I've never had an agent go bust on me but I read of it happening during the last travel slowdown. Sometimes the agent gets paid by the cruise company but the agent goes bust and won't refund the customer when the cruise is cancelled, since they are broke and out of business.

Agents are supposed to have an "X" amount in escrow with their credit card company for this rare occasion, but, evidently, in some cases all of that had been used. Hence a big fight to get your money.

I have had the same agent for 10 years.

13 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Has the food in the Azamara main dining room improved really? Gratuities and alcohol (not premium alcohol) was already included before new owners. I have noticed the price increase since then. What is better now?

Ivi

I agree with Host Jazzbeau. There is quality and value in the MDR.

There used to be a good deal of repetition on the menu items. We usually cruise for a least two weeks and we felt we were seeing the same menu, just redone, in the second week.

On our last cruises in December we thought the originality, taste, and consistent quality was impressive. We check the MDR menu daily and if it is not to our liking we will do specialty dining. More often than not, we are very happy in the MDR. Also, important to us, we have found the personalities in the MDR can be more fun than in SD! ... 🙂 ... Happy Travels!

12 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I think that is an impossible question to answer with any certainty and it would be wrong of anyone here to give you a definitive answer. It just depends on the circumstances at the time. All I can say is that the medical team will do all they can (for a fee), but they aren't a hospital and there are limitations, as I say depending on the circumstances and how the doctor feels. 

 

Phil 

Well said. My wife fell once on the gangway coming back onto the ship. She hit her head and was briefly stunned. We decided to do a 'wait & see' approach to care on the ship, rather than accept the offered emergency medical visit. Check on any fee for offered services. In this case, her hard head provided safety and she was up and around quickly.

On 3/20/2022 at 9:59 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

For me there is just something very special about Azamara. The fact that it’s so small that you make friends easily, that crew get to know you and your preferences very quickly, that senior officers are out and about and very happy to stop and have a chat with you, that you rarely have to queue to get off the ship and never to get back on, that when you come back aboard the crew say ‘welcome home’ and it does feel like home!

The food in the main dining room is great, you can walk up anytime and get a table pretty quickly - no having to book, or sit at the same table, same time every day. We also love the Patio - on the pool deck - at lunchtime for their great burgers, kebabs, chilli etc at lunchtime and you can have dinner there too ( when the ship is full - it may not always be open at night at present with half full ships due to COVID).

There are shows every night - a mix of the ships entertainers and other entertainers who are aboard for a couple of weeks - singers, musician DPD, comedians, magicians. On one cruise the magician not only did shows in the cabaret lounge, but also went into the Living Room (think Observation Lounge) and did tricks at small groups of tables. There is piano music in the Den every night, and a band that performs around the ship in different venues at different times, often including a performance on the pool deck.

Your brief comment on the crew really hit home for us. They get to know you and will remember your name.

I realize we have cruised Azamara more than most but their crew's on the ships may rotate, as all cruise ship crews do, but we know many, many crew return back to Azamara. They know us by name, and we have gotten to know them.

On our last cruise in December we rekindled a long cherished acquaintance with a crew member from 10 years back! ... 🙂 ...

Your question requires a personal answer ... towards you and your interests. Not knowing you better makes this difficult.

We also have done some Celebrity and we have enjoyed some of the things about them that you mention. Overall, it depends on the person(s). We usually miss the quality entertainment we can get on a larger Celebrity ship when on Azamara.

With that said, recently (December) we did b2b with Azamara and we were just blown away by the quality entertainment experience. (also our personal choices) We just booked another b2b with Azamara for April/May with that last positive Azamara experience still resonating with us.

Hope you can find what works best for you! ... 🙂 ...

9 hours ago, cleobella said:

LOL, OMG! I put 2042, but of course meant 2024!  Although my friends and family would not be surprised if I did book something almost 20 years out, they always tease me for being a planner and booking a year or even two in advance.  Someone suggested to me that an inside cabin may be OK on an Asian Itinerary as many of the ports are industrial and we would be unlikely to spend alot of time using the patio with the port heavy itinerary.  Any thoughts there guys?  We are not cabin snobs and have booked inside and oceanview before, also balconies and "concierge" cabins.  It is nice to have more space on a longer trip though.  I wonder if we should save some money, book inside, and upgrade our flights instead? 

You have found that Azamara veterans like to assist others when they can. So much of your thinking really depends on your personal preference. I will share some of ours since you are trying to take in various ideas.

For us the type of cabin has more to do with the type of cruise. Transatlantic cruising usually means a balcony for us since we often dine on this veranda ... but like you we are not cabin snobs ... 🙂 ... We have booked inside/inside occasionally for 'busy cruises' when we don't anticipate being in the cabin much. We enjoy feeling thrifty ... 🙂 ... On the other hand, we've been with Azamara enough that we normally get a good amount of cabin credit and we like to splurge with it on the high end drink package! ... Everyone is different ... Good Luck with Azamara!

We may still do this Black Sea Azamara cruise. 

We have done it previously also under very similar circumstances, as the Ukraine was also under duress from Russia.

At that time another port was added; (certainly no guarantee it will be added again)

https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/thessaly/volos/

It is very unlikely that Azamara will cancel your Black Sea cruise. We were on a previous Azamara Black Sea cruise when there was another serious conflict in the Ukraine. Most likely your cruise will just pick up another port as a replacement, as was done on our cruise. Disappointing yes, but certainly not enough to justify a cancelation and refund of your airline transportation.

55 minutes ago, MouseBerry said:

Hi,

are the special dining options open for lunch as well or dinner only? What are the opening hours? I read that these options are very much liked by the passengers and to get reservations can be difficult. Wondering if that could be solved with opening hours from noon to evening. Actually I prefer to have a quite early dinner and have an evening stroll at land afterwards , late departure provided of course.

 

cheers

MouseBerry 

These choices are very much a personal preference. We go to specialty dining when the Main Dining Room menu is not of interest. The menu in the MDR is normally quite good but we prefer the waiters there. In general we have found them to have more personality and we have a more pleasant meal because of them then with the sometimes 'stuffy' Specialty Dining Room atmosphere.

8 hours ago, capsplace said:

If there is any silver lining, all our payments went directly to Azamara, and the couple refunds received so far have come back from Azamara directly.  Fingers crossed that in the end, we’ll get every penny.  A couple years ago (when the world came to a screeching halt), we waited quite a while a refunds from Celebrity.  Eventually, we were made good.  

Things could be worse ... you could be waiting on a refund from Crystal ...