nordski

1 hour ago, uktog said:

 

Many crew have the cough as well and I really think the ship should have been more open about the problems and perhaps to have made facemasks more readily available. For several guests the argument for not wearing one when they should be as they did not bring any with them 

If embarking tomorrow you might want to get some cough medicine before boarding 

Great suggestions! These should eventually become the norm.

16 hours ago, laurieb said:

There isn't anything for the Journey beyond the r/t Athens cruise in November.  Azamara may be reworking the itineraries

With the seemingly increasing tricky issues, including geopolitical challenges, itineraries may be increasingly directed to the most stable regions, including the Caribbean,  I also expect that there will be needed flexibility on the part of both cruisers and cruise lines. 

On 4/5/2024 at 8:48 AM, Mackdogmolly said:

I live in Burlington, Vermont, which is in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8. Our state of around 600,000 people is expecting to be invaded by 100,000-200,000 people over the next few days. 50,000-75,000 are expected to come to my city of 40,000. 😬

Many of them will be trying to travel home immediately following the event. Should be interesting!

Concerning the eclipse, the mayor of the somewhat nearby city of Niagara Falls, also in the path of totality, has declared a state of emergency for Monday in anticipation of hordes of visitors.

Not everyone is happy about that and a concerned group has filed a lawsuit to rescind the order. The owners of tourist shops will be looking for a bonanza. I will be looking for a comfortable chair in front of the TV,

On 4/5/2024 at 8:48 AM, Mackdogmolly said:

I live in Burlington, Vermont, which is in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8. Our state of around 600,000 people is expecting to be invaded by 100,000-200,000 people over the next few days. 50,000-75,000 are expected to come to my city of 40,000. 😬

Many of them will be trying to travel home immediately following the event. Should be interesting!

You are having a remarkable several months. A cruise to the Antarctic (thanks for the updates) and now in direct line for a rare celestial event.

Unfortunately the biggest negative at this time surely is the rather poor harvest of a product I know is important to you in the spring. Don’t know what it’s like in Vermont, but Québec’s maple syrup strategic reserve is virtually depleted and there was poor production here in Southern Ontario.

I am making no direct connections to your cruise, but hope you stay home next year to improve production of this essential product. Otherwise, hopes that real maple syrup be provided on Azamara may founder as prices escalate. 😢

3 hours ago, susiesan said:

I figured it out. The Azamazing evening for my sailing is in Kotor, Montnegro. I signed up.

 

I used the included $300 excursion credit for Krka National Park from Sibenik. I have $22 left of that credit and another $250 OBC from my TA. I'll likely use it for dining as none of the excursions interest me, plus they are very expensive compared to DIY.

I really enjoyed the excursion to Krka several years ago, so I hope you also will find it excursion credit well spent.

4 hours ago, Riocca said:

We have booked flights that can be cancelled or altered at minimal cost just in case.

Right now, given numerous issues, that is also our plan of action for all plane travel.

On 3/2/2024 at 1:43 PM, Mackdogmolly said:

15’ swells today - worse than the Drake on the way to Antarctica! The planned officers barbecue at lunch went forward, but in Discoveries, instead of on deck, and certainly difficult to walk around!

We continue to enjoy *most* of the talks and the food. Looking forward to the day in Puerto Madryn tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Have you finished the book: “The Wager”?

Is it a bad time to ask that question?

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Bit of a shake as we cross the Drake. The Captain is reporting 12’ swells, likely increasing to 15’.

 

Lovely sea day brunch in the MDR today, with crew helping to carry plates for swaying guests 😅

Love the opening line!

28 minutes ago, uktog said:

Far fewer police in evidence than in 2018. We commented on that

That’s interesting. Thanks for the assessment.

15 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Not that I noticed.

Thanks!
 

There were a fair number out and about when we were there 4 years ago. 
Glad to hear that there is relative quiet on the streets. 

Looking forward to more posts from you and uktog!

Thanks for the reminders of the fascinations of  Buenos Aires.

Given the recent election and political excitement, were police in evidence in the neighbourhoods you visited?

22 hours ago, gddeluca said:

We just booked the Quest from Reykjavik to Montreal in Aug 2025. I looked at shore excursions and the only port currently showing was for Saguenay Quebec.

 

I almost choked. There were several excursions of the Bus tour + maybe a snack type. (Along with the warning that the buses may be school buses) The cheapest one was about Cdn$ 300.00/each and the top one was quoting over Cdn$ 800.00/each. ( US$450 to US$1150 for the two of us)

 

This is out 1st Azamara Cruise. Is this an error in the listing? Does Azamara actually get away with charging such prices?

 

We visited Saguenay in 2022 on the Regent Navigator, so I've good idea what these tours would be like.

 

If this is typical Azamara pricing, then this may be our first cruise where we never leave the ship.

 

George

 

Using TripAdvisor for guided tours in Saguenay this summer that include the fjord and National Park, there seems to be only one provider right now and the price is about $300. CAD for two.

Perhaps more providers will appear as summer approaches. Already some of this company’s tour dates are fully booked. 

The $800. CAD tour seems to be for a gastronomic experience at a farm, hosted by a chef. In our experience, that seems to be the usual price on AZ for this type of tour.

7 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

HOHO bus is a good option in many ports.

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

We've used Tours by Locals in the past, and like you, am astounded at what many of the guides are charging now

And the HOHO service in Barcelona offers several options, all of which are excellent in our view. We used it in the evening when it was much less crowded.

8 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Every time Azamara makes any change lately someone speculates it means financial problems.
 

 @Symmes99 If your travel agent  comes back with confirmation of your worry, please let us know. In the meantime this comes under the heading of rumor-mongering. 

8 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Every time Azamara makes any change lately someone speculates it means financial problems.
 

 @Symmes99 If your travel agent  comes back with confirmation of your worry, please let us know. In the meantime this comes under the heading of rumor-mongering. 

 
Host Jazzbeau, you may recall that when Viking was in the midst of its rapid expansion of the river boat fleet there was ensuing speculation on the River Cruises forum that the company was in financial difficulty. Of course some of this was based on anger that Viking was changing the nature of river cruising and some was concern about payment windows.

We know how those speculations turned out.

Of course, each person/couple have to be comfortable with their own assessment of risk. And goodness knows that in the world presently there are considerable sources of risk.

3 hours ago, uktog said:

I hope all UK cruisers are safe with little or no damage today with Storm Isha. 

We flew back from Lanzarote last night and big shout out to the Jet2 pilot - obviously many years of experience who came into the cabin and spoke pre landing. Very reassuring because that was the worst landing I’ve ever had. I was sure we would tip over - the cabin was eerily silent for about 30 seconds of the taxi in as everyone processed what they’d just experienced. 

I was the driver home - let’s say that was “interesting”. 
 

Today we find part of our roof slates did an Elvis in the night - explains some of the crashes as they left the building. But no one is hurt and compared to others we’ve been extremely lucky 

In the distant past, I can remember flyers applauding when the plane touched down. 
Sounds like that pilot earned a standing ovation! Of course, once the signal to unbuckle seat belts was given.

Glad you are safe and hope the same for everyone else in the British Isles. I heard of one plane headed from London to Dublin that ended up landing in Paris.

24 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

We are in a similar cold snap with similar temperatures. Brrr!

Good news for the skiers in Vermont! I see that The Woodstock Center is posting “excellent” conditions for its trails, and hot cocoa to replenish some fluids.

5 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

It was a beautiful but chilly day on Wednesday when we went for our walk by the river Humber.

Gorgeous sky!

We too are in the midst of a “cold snap”. This a.m, the temp was -14 C with a wind chill of -22 C.

But this has been the exception as the winter has been quite warm. Only this week has there been consistent skiing on slopes and trails.

1 hour ago, uktog said:or alternatively if they have dietary restrictions pre order the day before as they ask you to do. 
That way everyone will get a speciality service experience😀

If possible, pre-ordering is the most efficient and most thoughtful way to go.
 

37 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Absolutely, well done!

Totally agree!

1 hour ago, *twinkle* said:

Unfortunately I’m still in South Africa and won’t be able to see my own dr for another week. If I knew what the strain was onboard I could tell someone here what it was. 

Apologies, I should have realized you were still away from home.
 

If you are at a hotel will they arrange a consultation?

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

7 hours ago, *twinkle* said:

 

Hey. Have just disembarked this cruise and have terrible stomach bug now. As there was a known outbreak onboard, does anyone know what the official diagnosis was so I can get the correct medicine here in South Africa? 
 

was it norovirus or some other GI infection?

 

thanks in advance. 

I would respectfully suggest that your local Family Doctor or a GI specialist would be a far more reliable source.

There are also medical centres that help with maladies acquired during travels to a foreign land.

9 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

A few thoughts to add to the good info above...

 

Paros is not typically a cruise stop (I think yours would be the only one the whole month).  It seems to be more of a laid-back beach vacation island.  A day at a beach, whether walking distance or using a taxi seems like the choice there.

 

Rhodes has a good-sized old walled city that starts right at the end of the dock.  Unless you have specific additional sights you want to see, you can probably occupy your day nicely with what is in walking distance.

 

Gythion is a kind of cute, laid-back, small town.  There is a variety of shops and cafes, but not a lot of local sightseeing to do.  We were happy taking a lazy day in town, but lots of people were doing bus tours up to Sparta.  

Excellent suggestions!

I would add that in Paros, many years ago, we were really impressed with the Byzantine Church and the walk up the hill to it.

A visit there and then you can find a beautiful beach for lounging.

Thanks to all who have provided lots of good information on this thread. An excellent example of the value of this forum.

Ithikan has pointed out that there is an anchored hand rail in the tub/shower combo.

Can anyone share the location of that handrail?

Thanks!

5 hours ago, uktog said:

 

If they are aiming for a younger market they are virtually all shower rather than tub users. 

If memory serves, this was one of the strongest arguments you made back in the original debate.

But the decision was Azamara’s and, like you, I think they made the wrong determination. 

41 minutes ago, uktog said:

Yes it’s a hard choice. The tub combo is a nightmare for so many. Locks you out of bidding for upgrades as well as you can’t risk getting a tub. Why they ever listened to the few who wanted a high % suites with tubs I will never know. 50% was way too high imho 

Agree totally! You will remember the rather heated debate that took place in this forum concerning this matter.

Your point about the reluctance to bid for Club Continent upgrades also supports the notion that Azamara is leaving some significant money on the table.

Perhaps converting some of the suites would soon pay for the alteration.