foxeysandy

Can anyone tell me if Azamara provides shuttles into the city center in Seville and Malaga and, if so, to what locations?  I'm trying to make plans for our November cruise on the Pursuit and this information would really help!

Does anyone know how long a tour has to be to be considered full day? Will 4 or 5 hours count? :confused:

I appreciate all of your opinions. While I only smoke a few cigarettes per day, I posted this because I feel that other smokers should know of the apparent attitude of Cunard toward smokers, so they may make an informed choice when they book a cruise. I have cruised on 10 other lines for over 30 trips, and none of them show such a hostile attitude toward smokers. Many of them have itineraries which are better than Cunard and have at least equally good food, choices for excursions, accommodations, spas and entertainment. They all have comfortable areas for smokers. I agree that smoking should be prohibited on balconies, in casinos and other public areas. We smokers would just appreciate one reasonably comfortable place to indulge in our nasty habit. We don't deserve to be at the very bottom of Cunard's caste system.

Having just returned from a 12 day cruise from New York City roundtrip to the Southern Caribbean, I just want to warn smokers that you may not feel very welcome on the QM2. There is only one area designated for cigarette smokers, at the rear of the ship on Deck 8. This is a really long walk for passengers who are in cabins near the front of the ship. There are not nearly enough chairs provided, so many people have to stand. I sat on a lounge chair one day and was told that this is not permitted because the chairs are plastic and a fire hazard. I told the waiter that I'd be happy to sit in one of the heavy wooden chairs if there were any available. He walked away. Another day, a waiter told me I couldn't smoke just a few feet from the totally occupied "smoking" chairs, because it was too windy, which is dangerous. There is no alternative area provided to protect passengers from wind, rain, and cold. Cigarette smokers are not allowed in Churchill's Cigar Lounge, but pipe and cigar smokers freely smoke on Deck 8. Bar service in the evenings was pretty much nonexistent. Ashtrays were hardly ever emptied, and dirty glasses/dishes rarely removed. In summary, the conditions and location of the only smoking area provided for cigarette smokers are unsafe, unhealthy and shameful. :mad:

We will be in Rome in late October. When should I look into booking RIL? Also, can anyone answer if it is best to try to get a van of 8 from my ship (Island Princess) or to just book my husband and myself into a van of 8?

Always book as early as possible. Also, I would definitely go to the roll call for the ship and post about the tour - we've done this many times and always found as many other cruisers as we wanted. A group of 8 is always lots of fun, and a good deal less expensive than doing in on your own.

No i didnt read thru

 

Basically its worthless then

 

Disappointing

I agree, this is VERY disappointing! We were traveling with a group, and for most of us a highlight was going to the casino in Monte Carlo late at night, which wasn't possible because we couldn't dock there in the evening, and also we were excited about St. Tropez, and had arranged for an independent boat tour in Millionaire's Bay, which had to be cancelled. There's no way that most of us will be able to use the credit for a future cruise if it has to sail before June, 2015. We have loved Azamara for several years, but now not quite so much! I feel especially bad for the people who endured the final scary tender ride, and those who couldn't get back to the ship until the next day and didn't have their medications, but maybe they received a better compensation.

Glad to hear

 

We recvd a nice certificate in the mail this week for a future sailing for missing the st. Tropez stop.

 

Very nice gesture.

 

We are hoping to do something in 2016 ...the 2015 offerings are slim pickins.

Did you read the certificate thoroughly? I at first thought it was good for cruises BOOKED by May 31, 2015, but it actually indicates that the cruise must be TAKEN by May 31, 2015. I agree--slim pickings, and the Quest is sold out for several months during the time we have left. Disappointing, especially since some of us make vacation plans about a year out and already have committed to other activities between now and 5/15.

We participated in the Naples Enogastronomic Tour during our cruise on NCL EPIC in May 2014! What an awesome food tour and great way to see Sorrento and the Naples countryside! Our driver, Tony, spoke excellent English, had an amazing sense of humor, and was extremely hospitable. He is originally from Sorrento and was very knowledgeable about the area and all the food sites we saw. Everything about this tour was great, but come prepared to feast...we had mozzarella tasting, olive oil tasting, lemoncello tasting, made our own pizzas, and finished up the day at a great winery partway up Mt. Vesuvius.

 

Great company to work with as well...we tried to set this up for a shared tour and advertised via our Cruise Critic Roll Call but it ended up being a private tour for the two of us when no one else was interested. All email communication with Jany at the Rome in Limo office received prompt replies and they easily flexed to a private tour from a shared one. I saw great reviews of this company on a number of cruise message boards and can say without a doubt that they lived up to their reputation.

 

Highly recommend this tour and this company! Thank you, Tony, for a fantastic experience!

Ditto! We had Tony for the Gastronomy tour from Naples to the Sorrento area in early May. He was just amazing, and we had a fabulous time! He's from that area, and seemed to know everyone at each of the stops. Thanks so much, Tony!!

Has anyone done one of the one-hour boat tours from the port at St. Tropez? We're considering Le Brigantin 2, which received praise in a NY Times article a couple of years ago, but can't really find anything else about it. I'd appreciate any input/information you might have about it or other boat tours.

So sorry you're not feeling well, Bill. Hope you're better soon.

I spoke to yet another Azamara rep today about the fact that at least two of the St. Tropez excursions do not show a 25% discount, even when you proceed as if you are booking them. I was told that some of the excursions have now been posted at the 25% discounted price, without the initial price being listed. I am confused by why this would be done, since here is still a statement beneath which indicates that the discount will be applied when the excursion is booked. Last week, I was told that some of the excursions were not discounted, and possibly the reason for the two St. Tropez ones was because of a 30-minute boat ride on one and a tasting of local wines on the other. I think I'll try again tomorrow and see what I'm told. This is pretty confusing! Has anyone else run into this situation?

I called Azamara on November 27 to ask why there was no discount on two tours on a May Med cruise. I was told that it was possibly because one included a 30-minute boat ride and the other included wine tasting. Doesn't sound like a "Grand Prix" thing to me!! The rep said Shore Excursions was closed that day, but she would email them and call me back on Monday (Dec.2). I'm still waiting.....!

Do they have taxis which will hold three to five people, including luggage? Same fare?

We used Ramses Tours for a full day tour from Alexandria to Cairo and back with another couple. They were just wonderful to work with--very responsive by email. Their driver and guide were waiting for us when we disembarked from the ship. The guide spoke excellent English and was very professional but also friendly and extremely knowledgeable about all our sites. She found out that all three ships in Cairo that day were headed to the pyramids and Sphinx first, so she took us to the museum in Cairo in the morning, then the pyramids later in the day. It was great to avoid the crowds. Our guide provided great, detailed explanations of the most important things to see in the museums. She arranged in advance for us to get a table quickly for lunch, for great views of the pyramids and for our camel rides. Next time we'll book the overnight with Ramses.

We just returned from an amazing 12-day luxury cruise from Rome to London, with two days on land at the beginning and end. While we participated in many cruiseline-sponsored tours in beautiful cities such as Bordeaux, Barcelona, and Lisbon, I have to say that the most fun and educational days were the two we spent with Rome In Limo. We had a group of 16 and my sister and I set up two tours in Rome--Angels and Demons for those returning to Rome and a basic Rome itinerary for the newbies. We all had a wondeful time, thanks to advanced planning assistance from Duman and Jany and the terrific drivers.

Two days later, we opted to use Rome In Limo from Livorno rather than the cruiseline's tour. Although we all had a generous amount of onboard credit, we felt we would get more value for our money by going with RIL. We were right! For much less than the cruiseline's price, we set up two tours for 8 persons each. The newbies visited Pisa and Florence while the rest of us went to Sienna and Voltarra (and in between, our driver, Fabrizio, took us to the location of Princess Di and Prince Charles' honeymoon).

We were especially pleased to meet Duman at the end of our tours in Rome!! I'm happy to report he's just as nice in person as online.

We were in Florence as part of an Italy tour a couple of years ago. We visited the Uffizi Museum and the Accademia (to view the famous statue of David). Our Uffizi tickets were purchased in advance by the tour guide. We were so appreciative, as the line for tickets out front was very long, and we were told that a two-hour wait was not unusual. We visited the Accademia before the general public was admitted. When we entered, there was already a long line out front.

For our June cruise, I've booked a Rome in Limo tour for the "new to Florence" members of our group. Rome in Limo will purchase their Uffizi and Accademia tickets in advance for 11 Euros each, per person. When I went online to check the prices, this was actually less expensive, due to all the add-on charges.

Samavacruiser, thanks for the information! Have you or has anyone else done this tour? If so, can someone tell me how much stair climbing is required and how long the tour usually lasts?

I understand that RIL has a shore excursion from Civitavecchia for an Angels and Demons tour in Rome. I believe if you're staying in Rome you can include the Angels and Demons sights in your itinerary for a full-day sightseeing tour. Has anyone done either one of these? If so, how was it?