mdeegooden

15 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Last night’s progressive dinner on Onward was over the top. This historic evening started in the Den with specialty cocktails served by waiters in tiger costumes. Then we headed to highly decorated Cabaret for appetizer and entertainment. Next stop was Galley for more canapés amongst another decorated venue. We then headed to Sunset Cafe for salad and soup. Next stop for a Beef Wellington dinner was Aqualina or Prime. We closed the evening out with a Chocolate Extravaganza in Living Room and dancing. This was a huge production that most likely will never happen again.

Cruise of a life time. 
 

Absolutely fantastic!  In every respect!  What a wonderful and memorable event the onboard staff created. I do hope it gets recognition and praise from the home office!  Now this is how you build and promote a brand!!

12 hours ago, LoveChops said:

Hi, just wondering how I can find out which nights these events will take place on our October 10th Intensive Croatia trip?

 

Thank you for any help.

Hi LoveChops, we are also on the Oct 10 sailing Croatia Intensive. The Azamazing Evening will be the day we’re in Split. This one is onboard and is offered at two different times to accommodate a variety of dining times. Hope to see you onboard. Safe travels!

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

We did the Amazon in 2019 with Oceania.

 

I think we expected more of the Amazon that really doesn't exist.  We knew that Manaus would be a big bustling city, and Boca de Valeria would be remote (but felt a little staged to us with all the kids running to greet you), but I guess we expected more of the Amazon portrayed in movies and travelogues, and that probably doesn't really exist any longer (especially with the destruction of the rain forests during the last decade or so).

 

It was interesting, certainly, but definitely a one and done experience.

 

As was our sailing with Oceania, which was I think a "seven and done."  No longer even have them on the radar.

 

And no, do not remember any requirement for a YF vax.

ECCruise, curious why Oceania didn't work out.  What removed them from future consideration?

I know!  I thought the same thing!

14 hours ago, DavyWavey70 said:

I’ve just booked my first Azamara cruise and I’m so excited to be finally trying the line. I’m on the quest on 16/1/25 for the 12 night CPT-CPT as a solo. I’m a regular on the Silversea boards but recently enjoyed an amazing cruise on Celebrity edge too and can’t wait to be onboard the Quest. Looking forward to saying hi to all onboard and sharing tips and hints here too. Best wishes, Davy

 

Welcome, Davy!  DW and I completed our first Az cruise last year on the Journey sailing R/T Cape Town on the South Africa Intensive.  It was wonderful, memorable, even "azamazing"!  I posted a review here on CC after we got back; you might find it useful as you plan your adventure.  See link: https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=696984

We enjoyed the overall experience w/ Az so much, it's bubbled up to be our favorite line, and we're looking forward to the next opportunity we have to sail w/ them later this year on the Croatia Intensive R/T Venice.  I hope you enjoy your experience w/ Az as much as we.  Happy sailing and safe travels!

13 hours ago, aliaschief said:

An amazing sunrise and another sweltering day at Angkor Wat. 36C and humid. Guides saved us with filtered ice cold bottled water and mentholated iced wash cloths. Got up at 4:30 AM to experience sunrise. Back to Onward tomorrow in Bangkok so we can attend a  Azamazing Bangkok evening. Pics are from our day two here. Bruce

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning!  WOW!  I do hope we get to experience these places someday. Your photos are so well taken!

On 2/23/2024 at 8:07 AM, Sarnia 432 said:

@Catchum and @Grandma Cruising

 

We were onboard, looking out at the whales as we approached the harbour.  Did you see them, one kept breaching.

 

 

Wow!  What a phenomenal shot!  DW and I were on the Journey a year ago for a two week South Africa intensive and didn't wildlife like this.  How lucky you are (and quick w/ the shutter)!

7 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Tonight we enjoyed a special dinner in Aqualina which was the Captain’s Cook’s Dinner featuring different menus from his Pacific travels. Same cost as Chefs Table but individual seating throughout the venue.

Another culinary offering on the Onward. It was offered to all guest and was a wonderful dining experience.

What a great cruise.

 

What a great idea!  Another standout, point of difference for Azamara. Looks delightful!

14 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Here’s some food porn from Chef’s Signature Dinner last night. First time they have offered this. Chef Sri is having a different one each segment.

Tomorrow a special dinner for World Voyagers. Meet for cocktails in Cabaret Lounge followed by dinner on the Promenade under the lifeboats. Another first.

Today another lunch BBQ featuring Australian cuisine.

Doesn’t get much better than this.

 

Agreed

14 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Here’s some food porn from Chef’s Signature Dinner last night. First time they have offered this. Chef Sri is having a different one each segment.

Tomorrow a special dinner for World Voyagers. Meet for cocktails in Cabaret Lounge followed by dinner on the Promenade under the lifeboats. Another first.

Today another lunch BBQ featuring Australian cuisine.

Doesn’t get much better than this.

 

Agreed!  Looks amazing.  How nice!  I do wish we were there to enjoy w/ you!

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

A wonderful evening Al Fresco by Onward pool tonight. A set menu with fish or beef. Really enjoyed and no extra fee.

 

Seeing this really makes me appreciate AZ.  Such a different experience from the other lines we've sailed, and how nice to create community among the pax!  Looking so forward to being back on board!  I do understand why AZ has such a loyal following.

4 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Last night’s Arabic Chef’s Table on Onward was very good.

 

Looks delightful!  Did they get a good crowd to enjoy?  I've heard that sometimes if it's not French, they sometimes have to cancel or reschedule for lack of diners.

I would echo the sentiments of the OP.  I've recently had to contact AZ's customer service over OBC and booking shorex.  In the two or three times I've called, I've had nearly no wait time and prompt, courteous, and (importantly!) competent service.  So very much improved from a year ago!  It seems from my own (limited) experience onboard and from many of the posters on this forum that AZ's shipside experience is uniformly excellent.  Now their shoreside customer service is rapidly catching back up.  Well done AZ!

3 hours ago, aliaschief said:

We have started our World Voyage on Onward. 195 of us are on for the full voyage and the first segment to Lima has a total of 530 guest. All our bags arrived including two we forwarded. Still have one to unpack. Busy day ahead with scheduled events and getting the cabin ready for long haul.

We are in our happy place.

Outstanding!  Wishing you safe and happy travels and looking forward to your periodic updates of sites you see.  What fun!

5 hours ago, FengShui@Sea said:

This was a private seafood specialty dinner we attended last evening ($75 pp). There were six courses, and about 14 passengers attended. The food and wine were outstanding!

 

 

Wow!  Looks just delightful!

I will say that I did call Az customer service a day or so after I received the email and asked to apply our OBC to the shore excursions I had previously "booked" online for our upcoming sailing.  The customer service rep quickly looked up my account, found the reservations that I had made, and was able to apply the very generous amount of OBC we got w/ our booking.  I paid the balance w/ a credit card and all is set.  The process was fast, relatively efficient, and consistent w/ the Az's email stating the "new" way excursions are to be reserved and paid.  All in all, well done.

2 hours ago, Jay19 said:

Thanks so much for your kind comments.    I'm not sure what ports you are visiting but our itinerary was Chioggia, Koper, Opatija, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor and Sibenik.

 

At Koper we decided to do a morning tour to Piran that also included a stop at the village of Padna.  There was a farmer's market at Padna and the opportunity to taste some of the local produce which many of the people on the tour seemed to enjoy.   Piran was very enjoyable but very crowded.   There were loads of buses in the parking area and a Viking ship was also tendering right nearby.  The guide walked with our group to the main square and then offered the alternative of going with her up a fairly steep walk to the Cathedral, or spending time on our own and meeting back at the bus.   Since we will always take the opportunity of doing things ourselves that was our option, we still went to the Cathedral which had lovely views back over the town but also had plenty of time to wander around the rest of the town on our own.   In the afternoon we spent time in Koper which was easy to get around on our own.    

 

In Opatija we had booked a shore excursion to Trsat and Rijeka and to be honest that was one we didn't particularly enjoy as there wasn't a lot to see and we spent a lot of time just standing around while the guide talked.

 

Zadar we did on our own, it is a very easy place to walk and a very interesting town with lots to see.  It was probably our favourite port of the trip. 

 

We had been to Split before but the tour we had booked to Salona was cancelled so we went into the Old town and to Diocletian's Palace.    You can spend ages just wandering around and again it is very easy to do on your own.  

 

Again we had been to Dubrovnik before but this is the first time we had tendered.   That worked out very well for us as we planned to go to Lokrum Island and the ferries leave near to the tenders.  We were early enough that we were able to walk through the Old Town first with not many people around, and then got the ferry across to the Island.   There is a very pleasant walk through a botanical garden and the remains of an old monastery and you can also do a very steep walk up to an old fort.   We did that but it was hard work and getting down was quite slippy.   We spent several hours there and there were quite a lot of people by the time we left.

 

We had also been to Kotor before so did a tour to Perast and to the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks.   There were lots of groups there and it was very crowded but very interesting.   We also visited a church in Perast and then had a little free time in the town before heading back to Kotor.  The tour included a walking tour in Kotor but as we had done that before we just headed back to the ship for lunch and then went for a walk in the afternoon.   A lovely place and very easy to do on your own.  

 

I think the most enjoyable thing about these ports is that most are very easy to do by yourself and there is lots to do and see.   I hope you have a wonderful time!

Thank you for the recos!  I am researching excursions now and have been reading Rick Steves.  This appears to be an outstanding itinerary! 

20 hours ago, Jay19 said:

We have just returned from a b2b on Quest, Athens to Chioggia (Greek Islands) and r/t Chioggia (Croatia intensive).    These were our first AZ cruises in 5 years and it was great to be back.   While most of the senior staff, with the exception of Ryszard, were unknown to us, they seemed very pleasant and communications from the Captain were excellent.    It was wonderful though to find several crew who remembered us and welcomed us back.   Service in general was excellent with only a few minor exceptions.

 

We were lucky in that we had very few problems with IT prior to the cruise and any issues we did have were dealt with by our excellent TA.   We had ended up paying for some shore excursions rather than using OBC but once on board a quick phone call to Shore Excursions dealt with this very quickly and satisfactorily.   I only needed to go to Guest Relations once, it was a short wait and staff there were very helpful and pleasant.

 

The cruises themselves were excellent, weather was great, if a little hotter than we expected, and seas were calm.    Best of all, after our experiences with Oceania where we missed ports on all four of our cruises, we went everywhere we were supposed to!    While there were a few ports that were crowded thanks to mega ships, most of our stops were small ports and we were often the only ship there which was lovely.    Santorini was the worst, despite Azamara switching two ports around to try and be there with less ships, other lines obviously had the same idea and the total number of passengers ended up being about the same as the original day.   We have been there several times so didn't bother even getting off the ship, it was a lovely peaceful day.   One lady I spoke to told me the wait for the cable car to go up was an hour and 3 hours to come back - why any cruises bother to go there any more is beyond me.    We loved Monemvasia, Syros, Zadar and Sibenik in particular but most of the ports were lovely and it was great to be seeing some new to us places.

 

Food was very good for the most part and we especially enjoyed the specialty restaurants.   The Patio was lovely for lunch and we had dinner there a couple of times as well.    Discoveries was fine, no waits for tables and service was excellent.    We didn't go to Windows much at all, just a few lunches.  We have never been fans of self service buffets, but particularly so since Covid, so only chose things that were served by the crew.    We feel that Oceania has the edge here as their buffet is always served entirely by the crew but that's just a personal view.   We had intended upgrading our drinks package but ended up not bothering and just having the included wines which suited us fine.

 

We now have 3 more Azamara cruises booked and looking at one more for next year.    They may not be 100% perfect but then we've never been on any cruise that was.   We were just very grateful and happy to be back on board again and thank all the crew for making it such a great trip!

Jay19, what a thoughtful review!  Thank you!  DW and I are booked on the Quest next year for a 9d Croatia Intensive.  It will be our second cruise w/ Azamara and our first in the Adriatic.  What excursions or port experiences did you do while there?  Were there any that were particular standouts or that you would recommend?

18 hours ago, combine said:

I received an update email in June with the link attached to it , from Carol Cabezas no less !  Its been a bit quiet since.  

"Combine," was the link only for the 2023 sailings or did she include those for 2024 as well?

On 8/5/2023 at 10:01 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

If your cruise is in 2023, this pdf has live links to the brochure for every cruise [but for 2024 and 2025 nothing has been published yet AFAIK]:

"Host Jazzbeau," thank you for posting.  The link works fine for me and the hotlinks within work as well.  I've just booked Az's 2024 9-day Croatia Intensive.  If you can point me to the 2024 equivalent listing of excursions, I would very much appreciate it!!

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We found the V&A area quite lovely as a base.  Lots of restaurants to choose from and sights to see.  For more info, here's my blog of our trip [Cape Town comes at the beginning]:

jazzbeauxafricansafari2018.wordpress.com

Wonderfully written!  I want to go!

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We found the V&A area quite lovely as a base.  Lots of restaurants to choose from and sights to see.  For more info, here's my blog of our trip [Cape Town comes at the beginning]:

jazzbeauxafricansafari2018.wordpress.com

Agreed.

7 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

Here's an update.  We booked the Dec 9 cruise.   I was able to change our flights to arrive on Dec 5 (cheaper fare too!).  We now have 4 precruise nights in Capetown.

 

The AC Marriott has no availability for Dec 8.   I booked a refundable room at the Taj Hotel to give us some flexibility while I am trying to sort out our plans.   Has anyone stayed at this hotel?  It is located in the Downtown/City Bowl area.   Is it easily walkable (and safe) to the V&A waterfront?  

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats, "AnnaNicole"!  I'm sure you and DH will have an amazing vacation seeing some unique and memorable sights.  We found this itinerary and our stay energizing and refreshing.  I can't wait to do another one similar!  As far as hotels go, if you can't get into the AC Marriott, I would recommend you check out the Radisson RED V&A Waterfront.  It's in an excellent location easily walkable to the ship and the rest of the V&A.  The location is safe and comfortable for any kind of walking you wish to do.  I would be leary of choosing a downtown location or someplace other than in the V&A if you intended to do most of your Cape Town exploring on foot.  Best of luck to you and happy sailing!
 

1 hour ago, AnnaNicole said:

Mdeegooden, Thank you!  So far, I booked the Pumba Private Reserve.  I am going to go over the shore excursions with my husband tonight.  

 

We originally planned to do an Azamara Antarctic cruise, but it did not end up working out with DH's schedule.  I am really excited about this cruise and am really appreciative of you sharing all of this great information!

 

How did you book the Azamazing evening?  I don't see that as being available.    Azamara's site is not very user-friendly!   

 

EDIT:  Ok, I see on AzAmazing evening that it is not available to book yet.   Here is the info if anyone wants to check their specific cruise date.

 

https://www.azamara.com/static-assets/files/AzAmazing Celebrations.pdf

 

 

 

 

We also have the South American around-or-through-Cape Horn itinerary high on our list as well, Santiago to Buenos Aires.  I can imagine that Patagonia must be as stunning as the South African cape!

4 hours ago, AnnaNicole said:

Thanks, everyone!  I appreciate your insights on excursions and where to stay.   🙂

 

I would love, love. love to extend the trip to include more time in Capetown and a safari, but the flights are not working out for me.   Too expensive, too many stops, etc.  

 

We booked a Delta itinerary with a quick flight into ATL and then nonstop to CPT.  Same on the way home.  The flights are more expensive than the cruise.   LOL

 

I have my flights and cruise on a 24-hour hold.   Do you think the 12 day cruise and one pre and post-day are enough?  Or should I hold off on booking this cruise and wait until I can book a longer stay in Capetown?  

 

Mdeegooden - thanks for sharing your review and excursion recommendations.   Did you have any problem booking excursions through the ship?  We have about $800 OBC and plan to use it for excursions.  

 

What are your favorite or must-see things in each port?

 

How is the weather in December (I read it is warm and mild)?  

 

 

 

 

 

Hi "AnnaNicole," our travel arrangements were similar to yours.  We flew direct ATL-CPT on Delta.  14 hours there and 15 hours back.  Relatively comfortable all things considered (and we were in coach) as long as you remember a good neck pillow, waterless toothbrush & paste, and rewetting eye drops ;)...  The only travel documentation we needed coming from the U.S. was our passports.  We, of course, brought our covid immunization records though they weren't needed for embarkation.  Azamara did provide day visas for Mozambique at $50/pp.  Quite seamless & convenient.

We booked all of our excursions directly through Azamara's website using our OBC first and then credit card for any balance.  The OBC from our TA was not available prior to the cruise but did show up in our account after we were onboard, which we used to pay for the internet.  DW isn't a drinker and I found the included basic beverage package enjoyable, so we were happy to allocate the OBC for excursions.  We chose day visits to both the Pumba and Thula Thula game reserves, kayaking the Nahoon river, the cooking class & lunch at the Polana Serena in Maputo, and the Table Mountain & Signal Hill tours & lunch in Cape Town.  We also signed up through the website for the Azamazing Evening w/ the Philharmonic in Cape Town, which of course was included at no extra fee.  All the excursions were well done, though we were disappointed in the long lines and wait time w/ the Table Mountain tour.  In retrospect, I wish we had done that one on our own so we could have purchased express tickets, skipped the line, and spent more time hiking the trails on the top which were spectacular.

While in Cape Town our first day, we walked the V&A Waterfront to take in sights, get our bearings, and recover from jet lag (which surprisingly wasn't too bad).  On the back end of trip for our overnight in Cape Town, besides the Table Mountain tour and Azamazing Evening, we did the Hop-on-Hop-off bus and spent more time walking the area and doing a bit of shopping.  The HOHO bus was excellent, a great way to see the broader area in context.  On the last day, disembarkation day, we rented a car and spent the day touring the South Cape and Boulders Beach, lunching in Simon's Town, and then driving through Stellenbosch to Franschoek where we had dinner up in the hills overlooking the town and the surrounding mountains.  Honestly wonderful views in a stunningly beautiful atmosphere!  Again, in retrospect, I wish we would have stayed the night in Franschoek and spent a day there rather than just the late afternoon and early dinner.  At any rate, we drove back to Cape Town to the airport to return the car in plenty of time for our late night departure back to the States.  Fantastic trip!

10 hours ago, AnnaNicole said:

Hello all.   I am considering booking a Christmas South Africa Intensive cruise  RT Capetown.   I may be able to score some reasonable business-class flights, so I may need to make a quicker decision than I normally would.   I have been on about 30+ cruises (mostly Celebrity, RCCL, Norwegian, and a couple of Oceania).

 

-  Anyone who has done this itinerary - how was it?  Good options for safari?  What were your favorite excursions?  Easy to book shore excursions?

 

- Opinions on Pursuit?   We will book a balcony cabin.   Any opinions on booking one category over another?  Advantage? Cabins to avoid?

 

- We plan on arriving a day early.   Any favorite place to stay in Capetown?  We will probably just rest after long flights, so reasonable cost.

 

-  Anyone, have experience with SkyLuxe for airfare?  Reliable?  (The reviews are great)

 

 

How's the food? service? activities?   

 

Thanks for any and all opinions and suggestions!   🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi "AnnaNicole," DW and I recently completed the 12 night South Africa intensive R/T Cape Town itinerary on the Journey earlier this year.  We also chose to arrive a day early, stayed at the AC Marriott V&A Waterfront, and thoroughly enjoyed nearly all aspects of the vacation.  As "Grandma Cruising" notes, Deck 7 is an excellent location which I would also recommend.  We chose an interior cabin there mid ship and, other than the size of the bathroom and shower, were pleased w/ the quietness, comfort, access to both Decks 5 and 9, where much of the action is, and performance & attentiveness of the cabin steward.

We were fortunate to have quite a bit OBC w/ our booking and were happy to spend it on the ship's excursions, which we took in all ports other than Durban where we rented bikes on our own and road up and down the Golden Mile (a little over 13km of scenic biking).  We enjoyed all the excursions we took other than the Table Mountain, which in retrospect, I wish we had done on our own so we could have spent less time in line and more time hiking the trails on top.  Our favorite excursion was visiting the Pumba game reserve.  Breathtaking, memorable, and just so well done.  First class.  We were especially fortunate w/ the weather, which nicely cooperated the entire trip except for the very last day when it rained in the AM.

I submitted a review of the itinerary and ship here on CC once we got back.  I've included the link for it below.  Bottom line, it was an amazing trip both in destination and in conveyance.  I highly recommend the itinerary and sailing it on Azamara.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=696984

Happy sailing!