Wacktle

If there's a team dealing solely with Azamara, I assume it's a large UK-wide travel agent? I do wish you could name it.

We like to choose our own table in the Grill (buffet restaurant). A staff member shows us to a particular area, but they don't object to us choosing the actual table. When tracing was in place for Covid, people were seated at specific tables; the table number was noted by the restaurant reception staff. We prefer the tables for two with banquette type seats.

Try this link https://starclippers.co.uk/destinations/shore-excursions.html

No emails at all here.

Our first cruises were with Ocean Village, an off-shoot of P&O UK. Their 2 ships, Ocean Village and Ocean Village 2, were second-hand and originally built in 1989 and 1990. The standard ocean view cabins had very large walk-in showers, in fact large enough to have a stand-alone stool. So, the ship's age is not a factor. I don't recall the showers being a big issue on Azamara though, but have experienced far better since, even on a moderately priced river cruise boat.

What were the issues on QE?

It would be helpful to know what level of tip is expected. We know that Americans are used to tipping, but it can be a dilemna for us in the UK.

Good and bad. We recently had an excellent one in Belfast, which took us around areas that we hadn't seen before and wouldn't have seen if left to our own devices, eg. Falls Road, Shanklin Road, Stormont, as well as the City Hall. The loo stop was at a wonderful university building! On the same cruise, the tour of Dublin was not great. It was Good Friday and the guide didn't know that some places were closed. She relied heavily on the driver's knowledge. The worst we had was in Rotterdam in October 2021. We drove round in circles, passing some buildings 3 or 4 times and having the famous bridge pointed out several times, even though the ship was docked right up to it . Afterwards we learned that other groups had visited the cube houses, whilst we only saw them from a distance. The only stop was at a so-called picturesque harbour, which was anything but ...in my opinion. So, it's a mixed bag, and maybe also dependent on the guide you end up with.

We were on a Marella (TUI) adults-only cruise in February. In the evenings, the majority of ladies (of all ages) wore far more dressy clothes than I've seen on formal nights on Saga, and not just on the "dress to impress" night. Of course, there was the dress-down brigade too, but we've also seen that on Saga with some ladies wearing tweed skirts and a cardi, even on a formal night. We've also sailed with Azamara; many seemed to interpret the dress code as golf course wear. Our next ocean cruises are with Saga and Marella. We'll see!

That is terrible. A multi-national IT company that I worked for stated that the recipient of an enquiry should "own the problem" either by answering it or ensuring that someone else did.

Please let us know the outcome regarding your taxi transfer timing, and BA seat booking? Thanks.

We've not been on Azamara for several years, but my OH used a CPAP machine with his own extension cord taped down (by the steward) to reach the power outlet. We've had a standard balcony cabin. My OH's machine doesn't use distilled water. As well as advising Azamara (and other cruise lines we use), we also inform the airlines, which grant him extra hand luggage allowance.

Sorry but I have no idea how you are able to see a list of remaining cabins from the instructions you've given. I am currently looking at river cruises with a couple of companies. I can select an itinerary, select a date, select the mode of travel and departure point, select the cabin type and instantly see the remaining cabins for the cruise and the price. Simples! Clearly not for Azamara though.

Agreed, but quite frankly, I'd rather do the initial research myself.

I've tried several dummy bookings just now, and got nowwhere; apologies if all this has been said before. Although I can scroll through future cruises and use the drop-downs to select on certain criteria, I cannot get much further. On my laptop screen, the cabin categories are partially obscured by the large banner header (see below) so I cannot easily see which type of balcony cabins are available. If I take pot luck and click on a type, I'm immediately taken to a screen to enter all my personal details.At that point, I have no idea of knowing which cabins are available, and what flight options from England are being offered. As such, I'll continue to ignore Azamara. Yes, I could go to a TA, but without getting some idea of what's available, it would be a nightmare.

I also said "yes" but don't have any of these things to show.

The coffee from Saga's machines is OK. I do agree with you about Taylors coffee. and I use their coffee bags too, if I want one large mug. I've found Costa was ok, but don't use it that often. I do however wonder how much Starbuck's barista training is to produce such vile brown liquid.

Bill, I think (but am not 100% sure) that Saga will either give you the "free" insurance when you declare medical conditions, or will refuse it. I don't think they cover medical conditions for an additional premium, as I've read on here and on social media that people then go to Saga's "paid for" travel insurance, which is completely separate. Other readers may confirm this, or not.

So sorry to hear of the sad loss of your cat. My thoughts are with you.

I cannot agree more with the above! We packed jumpers and macs for our cruise last year (31st Aug) but no sun tan lotion. We had amazing sunny weather, and no rain. I'm hoping we may be lucky again. Other thoughts ... Try different things onboard, like going to a lecture. Some are fascinating, others not so much, but you don't know until you try. Book any speciality restaurants as soon as possible after boarding.

Thank you Sara.

Sorry that your experience means that you won't be on a Saga cruise again. We've got 3 Saga cruises booked, but all short ones. Aside from Saga, we've recently enjoyed a week's Caribbean cruise on Marella's Explorer 2, and have already booked again for 2024.

Oh, that's a blow. I preferred the pre-Covid proper buffet. We never eat in the MDR. It's just not our thing. Another question. Could you choose where you sat in The Grill? Again, pre-Covid we could select our own table and usually sat in the same area, as did others, which was nice. However, post-Covid we've been "put", resulting in different serving staff for every day and meal.

Sara, Firstly thanks for your blogs. Is there now a buffet in The Grill in the evenings, albeit served from behind the plastic screens? I hope so. I think the evening meals were all served ready-plated last time we were onboard (Sept 2022). I much prefer to say how much of each item I want, and what I'd like plated with what. Thanks.

How did you book the Mo Bay lounge?