shedridt

Hi - We did Singapore to Hong Kong in January five years ago, & I remember the heat & humidity all too vividly. There is nothing that would induce me to do a trip in such a climate again (breathing problems), but I realize that's easy to say once you HAVE seen all those wonderful places. A tip - amazon sells a little portable/rechargeable fan made by Innobay that you can tuck in a purse. Wonderful. It's so powerful it knocks itself over on high speed!

If you decide to go forward, I recommend seeing the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok, &, if the option is available, an overnight to Angkor Wat.

My husband used to travel to India before he retired. He told me that if I wanted to go, I would go alone as he would only return if his pension depended upon it. It's so much a matter of taste & comfort. Good luck making your decision.

Two weeks ago here in Greenville DE we were clawing to get an appt for the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, & I stayed up 'til midnight in the hope that appts would open up then, which they did. I understand that it's now fairly easy to get an appt in DE. Friends in the distant Philadelphia suburbs were able to get an appt but only for center city Philadelphia.

Question for UK posters - what do you think the odds are of the Aug 4 Amsterdam to Dublin cruise going? I know that the Scots have different rules from England & probably Ireland as well. At this point we have not booked air, as it has seemed unlikely the cruise would go.

Best wishes to everyone! Today (still!) is the day to believe in pots of gold at the end of rainbows, & a world in which people don't wear masks.

One of the best cruises we've taken was Lisbon to Barcelona, heavy emphasis on Spanish ports. Really beautiful things to do & see (don't miss the Alhambra), and great history. I don't think you would regret taking the Spain cruise.

There's a tall, slim waiter in Prime C on Journey...& I smiled at him first night of our last cruise, recognizing him from other cruises. He approached me & said, "Miss Debra, it's good to see you again. I recognized you right away." This young man is very shy (wish I could remember his name!), but he was so kind to approach me in his shy way. It's a moment I sort of cherish, you know? I wish I could communicate that to Azamara. There are lots of employees who shine brightly, but this young fellow sort of glows, quietly.

Hmmm...I was so enjoying the positivity of this thread & kudos to Bonnie for getting us to look ahead, as I am determined to do. We are booked on Az Quest next year at this time to do our first ocean crossing (we found we enjoyed the LA to Papeete cruise on Journey in January so much that it debunked our fears of endless days at sea with nothing to do) from Rio to Lisbon. Then later in the summer we are doing Scotland (Aug 4 2021 out of Amsterdam) & we will follow it with a self-drive tour of the home of my ancestors - Ireland! We can't wait to be back on board Az and enjoy their unique hospitality again. You know how special it is when a waiter greets you by name & says he recognized you right away - after 3 years! The best!

Oceania does everything they tell you they will do superbly - but they don't do ONE SINGLE THING MORE.  Forget about the lovely Jazz Brunches & Officers Barbecues &White Nights of Azamara, & forget about having Captain Johannes come to greet you at your deck chair.  It will be very good, unless I miss my guess, but a bit hollow.

I've taken two cruises each with Oceania & Azamara since my posting back in 2018.  The first of the two cruises was the one referenced in my post from 2018 & included the wonderful bucket list ports of Santorinai, Naples/Pompeii & Rhodes & it was fine & I was ready to go home at the end of it. The second we booked ENTIRELY to meet my culinary hero, Jacques Pepin, & he was so wonderful that the cruise was too.  The two Azamara cruises were Bali to Sydney & LA to Papeete & my husband had to drag me off the ship both times.

Absolutely no contest, & we have two Azamara cruises pending & really no plans to cruise Oceania again. That said, we met a couple of Oceania loyalists a month ago who said their first Azamara cruise might be their last as they missed the Oceania food - & I don't blame them! But the food isn't enough to make me book again with Oceania. As proof, we've got two Az cruises in the hopper...can't wait to be back on board.

All of this is why there's chocolate & vanilla, right?

We are doing a 14-day Barbados cruise next Jan/Feb. Where to stay in Barbados before the cruise (we are traveling from NE USA & I am nervous about cutting travel too close in event of snowstorms...& so am thinking we fly out of NYC 2 days before cruise embarkation)? We have Hilton points & like to use them when it's right but we're flexible.

ALSO - can you make recommendations about what to see/do on this cruise? Where did you have caviar in the surf (& was it twice in a 14-night cruise?)?

Many thanks.

On Azamara, we learned that referring to crew members by name in a positive way in a written review could mean promotion or better duty, & so we are always sure to do that. It can mean money in their pockets in a long-term way!

I am so sorry to hear that your writing skills were subject to criticism on these boards in prior postings. I haven't visited cruisecritic in a while, & am struck by how rather...how to put it...tetchy people are these days...how eager to contradict or criticize or take things the wrong way & blow up a simple question into a debate or an argument.

It's made me sad, for all of us.

AND...I think we are doing your cruise next January/February - Barbados 14 days. Sounds like bliss & I'd like to know more about it - like - where did they have the Caviar in the Surf???

Now here's a wild card for you...we are actually looking seriously at Regent Cruise Line, whose prices would have scared the stuffin' out of us years ago.

BUT WAIT - Regent's quite high high quoted price is truly all inclusive - all beverages at all times (like Az), AND for cruises outside the USA Business Class Air, AND for all cruises all the time shore excursions are also included.

So add it all up...Business Class Air to Barcelona + all shore excursions...I bet you'll find as we have that Regent is at least worth considering.

Has anybody done Regent & could comment?

My experience will not be out of place in all these postings, & I hope Azamara is listening! Our standard of The Best is Seabourn - but we felt that our deeply discounted cruise in 2010 was a once in a lifetime good deal & have found a home on Azamara & Oceania. Oceania will have seen the last of us after our October 2018 cruise as we just don't see that there is an advantage (for OUR taste - & to each his own!) but we really do like Azamara. In making plans for our next January/February cruise I just checked on Seabourn, & a comparable cabin on Seabourn is now cheaper on the itinerary we've chosen than Azamara would be.

I hope that the reviewer who felt that Seabourn would be too formal rethinks that, as Seabourn simply does everything right - a lot like Azamara! BUT...you get more for your money these days with Seabourn.

As your Mama told you back in high school, you better shop around! :D

I don't care a great deal about the relative cost of healthcare in the USA vs the rest of the world in this particular case - it doesn't matter if you're on a ship that isn't registered in the USA, does it? My concern is that Oceania has off-loaded this care to a private contractor & seems to take no further responsibility for it. I maintain that Oceania HAS got a responsibility for their choice of a medical provider who is charging outrageous prices, & they should be talking to us on this board about that responsibility & what they intend to do about this.

The one & only time one of us ever pulled up lame on a cruise was with a (BINGO!) sinus infection. It was about 15 years ago, obviously on another line. I went to see the ship's doctor & he gave me an antibiotic - total bill was $60.

The ship's doctor is NOT akin to an Emergency Room & you can't pretend that it is in this sort of case. I am wondering why there is not an Oceania representative commenting on this issue. On Azamara you'd have Bonnie weighing in right away...but comparisons are odious.

HOW, then, to get this concern to Oceania's attention? I've been in touch with the fellow who books my cruises, & he pleads no knowledge.

Alas! It would seem that standards are meant to be challenged so that they can be abolished, & this is regrettable.

A week or so ago, the Wall Street Journal published an article in this vein in their Misery Column. In that Dear Uncle Agony column, a young man said that he had recently been hired by a company & they had a dress requirement that included suits & ties for gentlemen. "HOW, he said, Can I change this, as I am uncomfortable wearing a suit & tie?"

The answer to me is obvious - that you have obviously joined the wrong organization if you know from the get-go that you will not be comfortably attired there. BUT - beyond that, how dare this young man of 22 or so years dare to think that his first act in his new company will be to change its culture?

AND so it goes for cruise ships.....in mho...

You are very lucky to be in the OPT...although on our Journey cruise that ended February 8 we weren't and suffered no ill effects. On the last day of that wonderful cruise we had a terrific guide who managed to make sense-to an outsider-of Australian history. He recommended a book that is such an easy, fun read...and I pass the tip along for free. It's called "Girt". The title is drawn from the Australian national anthem, which apparently describes Australia as girt by sea. Fans of Bill Bryson will just love this book. Available on Amazon and other outlets, I am sure. You can read it on the plane, but will disturb your fellow travelers with your uncontained laughter. I was so glad to get this recommendation, as we weren't able to get much history from our guides, apart from this one on our last day.

Bonnie, no manner of lively activity, no matter how attractive, could ever make me want to be a smoker. I am among those most loathsome of humans - a Reformed Smoker! I hack & wheeze at the very sight of cigarette smoke & wish smoking could be banned from all areas of the ship.

We've sailed with both Oceania & Azamara many times, & we feel that Azamara is our overwhelming choice for booking future cruises. We like them both, but Azamara gains our respect time after time for quality of service, & that's the thing that really brings us back along with their port intensive itineraries. There's a warmth there that is hard to describe... Still...we have enticed friends to join us on our Oceania cruise Oct 4-14 in the Mediterranean, & we know they'll love it. In that case it's all about the itinerary as it's a Bucket List trip that includes Pompeii, Santorini, & Rhodes. This itinerary is just wonderful & Azamara isn't offering anything similar anytime soon...so off we go. I guess my message is that if there were two identical cruises offered by these two lines, I'd choose Azamara every time. I've chosen to sail with Oceania next fall because of their itinerary - my personal bucket list. BUT - my very next cruise will be with Azamara, in late January & I can't wait because I know how wonderfully I'll be treated, & how much I'll enjoy my on-board exxperience. I hope that helps...

We've sailed with both Oceania & Azamara many times, & we feel that Azamara is our overwhelming choice for booking future cruises. We like them both, but Azamara gains our respect time after time for quality of service, & that's the thing that really brings us back along with their port intensive itineraries. There's a warmth there that is hard to describe...

Still...we have enticed friends to join us on our Oceania cruise Oct 4-14 in the Mediterranean, & we know they'll love it. In that case it's all about the itinerary as it's a Bucket List trip that includes Pompeii, Santorini, & Rhodes. This itinerary is just wonderful & Azamara isn't offering anything similar anytime soon...so off we go.

I guess my message is that if there were two identical cruises offered by these two lines, I'd choose Azamara every time. I've chosen to sail with Oceania next fall because of their itinerary - my personal bucket list. BUT - my very next cruise will be with Azamara, in late January & I can't wait because I know how wonderfully I'll be treated, & how much I'll enjoy my on-board exxperience.

I hope that helps...

Many thanks, Bonnie. We are understandably concerned about making our air arrangements - only to find that our port has changed. No way to predict the future but surely Azamara has their eye on this, far out as it might seem....

Question for Bonnie - we are watching the situation in Bali with the active volcano, & note with alarm that the airport is now closed there. Obviously there's no way to tell the duration of this disruption, but we are wondering if Azamara has a contingency plan. We are concerned as our air arrangements are made...what to do?

Thanks, Bonnie! You would think that our lust for these wonderful events would be satisfied at some point, but it's never enough. We've seen two eclipses from cruise ships, and would just love to add to the experience. Keep us posted!

Quick question for Bonnie...on the topic of South America cruises, is there any thought of Azamara doing a cruise to South America that would include the total solar eclipse of December 14, 2020? As veterans of six total eclipses, we would book tomorrow! Thanks for putting this bug in a well-placed ear.

Thanks for posting this to put a bug in Oceania's ear. We are veterans of six total solar eclipses, and the experience never palls. Hoping Oceania or Our Other Favorite RShips put this on their schedules...

On our last Oceania cruise (February 2016) I stood in front of the Shore Excursions desk for long LONG minutes without a flicker of recognition from the 'specialist' assigned there, ultimately forcibly presenting myself which made little more impression on the terribly cool blonde who controlled the desk. She was of absolutely no help & should have been terminated on the spot for the way she treated passengers. GRRR! I've NEVER been treated so rudely on a ship before!!!

Apart from that...excellent food in the specialty restaurants, but no contact with captain or crew & this in the midst of a noro-virus outbreak. We travel again with O next February & I hope - against hope! - that they are in better kit then that they were last February.

Just wondering if there is a new Host "Andy" - although we all know that Host Andy will never be truly replaced. He was YAR!

What is the new protocol vis-à-vis hosts these days? How does one appeal a question to the cruise line??

I would say that our meals in Jacques & Red Ginger were so far above any other dining experience we've had at sea as to be extraordinary. The Miso-Glazed Sea Bass is indeed wonderful & although I can't remember exactly what we ate in Jacques, the experience & food were just great.

The sad thing is that you can't take that two night experience with you throughout your cruise....the food in the main dining room was not memorable at all....not to us....

Luckily!!!! On Riviera you can take cooking classes that are the best thing evah! DO IT! You won't regret it. I've taken classes for years elsewhere & learned more from the Oceania chef on Riviera in two classes than I ever did on shore.

There are other places to go in this world that are safer than the Middle East. As a tourist, I wouldn't touch this part of the world until there's a great turnaround in the current situation.

This pains me a great deal, as I was fortunate enough to experience Egypt years ago when only Mummy Tummy was the thing to be feared. It's a fabulous trip, but I wouldn't go anywhere near this part of the world just now, not having a death wish.

Don't blame the cruise lines for keeping you out of this area! They're doing you a favor.