Marmaduke

Glad to hear that the MDR menus are under review.

Any chance of the About Rose toiletries being replaced for something a little more luxurious e.g. Molton Brown, Elmis ?

I don't use Facebook or Twitter so many thanks to everyone for posting photos of the refurbishment here, please keep them coming. Looking forward to being on Journey in March.

I visited Amber Cove last month on Azura, which I believe was her second visit to the port. The resort is nicely designed around a large swimming pool with plenty of sun loungers, although we were the only ship in that day, I think that the berth may be able to take two ships.

There are several bars and shops selling duty free, souvenirs and tourist gear. The zip wire which runs across the pool was $12 for Adults and $6 for Children (unlimited runs). There were various types of Cabana (over water, hillside etc.) but prices were high, over £200 a day if I remember correctly. Taxis were available but again prices were high. We spoke later to a couple who had taken a taxi in to town but they said that everywhere they went they we pestered by locals.

There is a small beach right next to, but not part of Amber Cove. To access it you have a 20 - 30 minute walk, down the drive, out the main gate, turn left along the main road , then left down the first road which runs parallel to the drive. The beach gets crowded and appeared to be in shade for most of the day, although this was December when the sun was at its lowest. You can swim from the beach. Having been to the beach in the morning we intended to spend the a quiet afternoon by the pool. Although we found loungers right at the back of the resort by the crew facility the music and noise from the bars was deafening and we were unfortunately driven back on board to find peace and quiet.

To Sum up, I feel that Amber Cove is glorified swimming pool with facilities which would appeal more to American tastes. It is definitely designed to keep any dollars that you may spend ashore with in the Carnival Corporation. I much prefer Grand Turk where you have easier access to the beach for swimming.

We have three nights pre cruise in Singapore but are wondering what is the best way of spending the day after the cruise. The ship arrives at the Marina Bay CC at 7 a.m. our flight does depart until 9 p.m. The earliest we can check in our luggage at the airport is 2:30 p.m. Should we leave our luggage at the MBCC luggage storage and get the train into the city for the day or go straight to the airport and spend the day there, maybe go back into the city from the airport ? I am sure we are not the first to be faced with this dilemma so any suggestions would be welcome.

I also had a nightmare trying to book the Black Friday promotion in the UK using an Open Passage Certificate. At 9:30 on Friday morning the Azamara web site was clearly showing the cruise I was interested in, included in the promotion and Terms and Conditions stated that it was combinable with other current promotions e.g. free European flights and On Board Bookings. The price was the same for inside, outside and verandah cabins. I checked two reputable TA’s sites and they were showing the same price as Azamara.

I telephoned my usual TA ( large UK Cruise Club) requesting a price for a V2 cabin and gave the number of the OP certificate. She then called me back saying that Azamara couldn’t give her a price until I had called them and given permission for the OP certificate to be transferred to her. I then called Guatemala to arrange this, albeit reluctantly, as by doing this, the certificate would appear to now be fixed with that agent for future use, should I decide not to go ahead with this particularly booking. I then called back the agent back to confirm. There was then a further delay while she had to contact someone else. By then I was begining to wavier, could I really be bothered with all this ? I eventually I managed to get a quote and went ahead and booked, by now it was 3 pm.

I fully expected that the £75 pp paid for the OP certificate covered the deposit. Therefore I was not happy when my agent phoned to back to say that Guatemala were insisting on a further £175 pp to bring the amount up to the normal UK deposit of £250 pp. I then checked Azamara web site to find that prices had gone up by £140 since the morning.

I am currently awaiting an invoice from Azamara, via my TA with a complete break down of prices and discounts, since none of the figures given over the phone seemed to relate to any of the prices on the web site, once OP and agents discount had been removed and taxes added on etc. Too much “Smoke and Mirrors”.

I am reasonably happy with the final price I have paid as it was considerably less than I was quoted for this cruise earlier in the year and is in the region of what I have paid for past Azamara cruises, but I am not convinced that I have received the full value (5% in my case) of an OP certificate and the lower deposit seems to be a total con.

Overall the experience of using a OP certificate and dealing with Guatemala has left me with a very jaded view of Azamara’s administration and pricing.

Apart from the invitation to disregard the check in times the other wording I find amusing - Cocktail Party ........ to meet fellow passengers and enjoy a few drinks. These days you are lucky to get one drink. Complimentary half bottle of Champagne ....Begin your first formal night with an early evening half bottle of champagne from us placed in your cabin. From previous experience it is not the first formal night, it can be any formal night of P & O choosing and as for early evening, I have even returned from dinner at 10:30 to find it waiting on the cabin table. Who ever delivered it couldn't be bothered to put it in the fridge, not that the fridges on P & O are that efficient at cooling anything.

We are considering booking a Superior Deluxe Balcony cabin on Azura next year and are wondering, as it is for a special anniversary, whether it is worth upgrading to a Suite. From the details given in the brochure I can't see what extra you get when having a Suite, apart from the extra space, larger bathroom and a Butler service, which we don't need. I thought that Suite passengers were able to have breakfast in 17/ Epicurean Restaurant but I can't find any mention of that either in the brochure or on the web-site. If you have had both grades of accomodation I would be interested in your views.

We go to the Caribbean every winter on the P & O charter flights and have never paid to pre book seats. We are happy to sit either side of the aisle and can usually get such seats if we check in about 3 hours before departure. The return seats are allocated on board by the ship's flight co-ordinator and we often end up with two together (side by side). From memory the only time we had aisle seats and were seated one behind the other was in the Premium Cabin ! Needless to say we no longer bother paying for the premium seats.

Does anyone know what the current charge is for the Epicurean and Sindhu on board Azura ?

I certainly prefer a walk-in shower, but surely the CC Suites that have a bath will have a shower as well, over the bath, similar to the present arrangement ? It would be mad to have suites without, or else many people will be following UKtog and downgrading to a standard balcony cabin.

We were allocated 6001, having booked a balcony guarantee. If you like the sun then its great as there is no roof to the balcony, but as others have pointed out no shelter from wind or rain. Providing you are standing on your balcony then the view is good as you get a different perspective from the front of the ship, but when sitting you can't see much. Yes the anchor does make a noise being lowered and raised and there is often a lot of vibration. There is also noise from the lounge below until about 11pm, as the cabin is situated right above the stage area. We were on a port intensive itinerary in the Med. so we didn't notice a great deal of movement but I certainly wouldn't want to spend long sea days in that cabin. My cruise was not ruined by having that cabin but I certainly wouldn't choose it. I don't consider it worthy of the term deluxe as there are no additional perks to a normal balcony and it certainly isn't worth the extra cost. Deck 7 may be better that deck 6.

On our cruise in June 2014 we were scheduled to have our Azamazing Evening at Ephesus but unfortunately it rained late afternoon and the venue for the concert was quickly changed to the large hall at the "theme park". Whilst Azamara and the tour agency did a good job with the logistics the overall experience was extremely disappointing. The orchestra was very good but all the seating was on the same level so those at the back were unable to see the musicians.

I have now attended 5 Amazing evenings and for me only 2 were worth attending, The concert in St Michaels Caves in Gibraltar and the concert at the Phoenix Theatre in Venice. I don't regard them as a major selling point and would rather the price of the cruise was reduced.

Not always....in Porto today, shuttle is only to the harbour gate which is5 miles from town.

Things have obviously changed as we were in Porto this time last year on Journey and the free shuttle buses took us right into town.

I find it hard to believe that 5 consecutive cruises for next Summer are completely sold out already. Maybe they have been with drawn due to a private charter as often seems to happen with Azamara or they are changing the itineraries yet again. I was interested in one of the August cruises but the recent problems in the Greek Islands deterred me from booking at this time.

I always say No and make sure they know I mean it. They always print what they take and as I have no intention of buying I like to think I am helping to save the planet by not allowing them to waste ink and paper!

Aqualina now has two menus which I assume alternate throughout the cruise. Why not do the same for the steak house, alternating the current menu with an Asian one. Alternatively close off one side of Windows in the evening for Kibo leaving the other side and the sunset bar available to all.

As others have pointed out, an enlarged Salon/Spa and a new cover charge restaurant are all about increasing revenue, which from a business point of view is a must, but I would rather they scrap the Azamazing evenings and keep the sunset bar as it is.

From the photos the upgrades look good, particularly the bathrooms which are greatly in need of improvement, but as I have previously posted I am very much against the Windows Terrace/Sunset Bar being turned into an Asian restaurant with cover charge in the evenings. Weather conditions can be very fickle, so is this really practical? I would hate to have booked to sit outside only to find that on that particular evening there was a cool breeze and I was cold throughout my meal. Also as others have pointed out, it looks as though the number of tables have been reduced so less outdoor spaces for breakfast and lunch. For me, eating outside made Azamara special. If that feature is no longer available and prices continue to increase, I may have to review my plans for next year.

Dining outside on the terrace of Windows Cafe is for us one of the highlights of an Azamara cruise. Even on the evenings we choose to eat in the MDR we usually have a drink at the terrace bar first. So please don't change this area.

Has the Beach House replaced the Italian restaurant (Verona) on Azura ?

We will be visiting Kotor later this Summer and there are 2 excursions that I am interested in, 'Brilliance of Boka Bay' and 'Pearls of the Adriatic Coast', but apart from prices and times, no details of the tours are given. Preview is currently unavailable, according to the excursion booking section of Manage My Reservation.

I should be able to get details from the shore excursion staff when on board but I wondered if it still cheaper to book Azamara's shore excursions in advance? Has anyone taken these tours previously and if so what are you thoughts and recommendations.

The local bus service is excellent and cheap. The local tourist office can provide you with details, maps and a time table or you can research them easily on-line.

There are two bus routes that go round the perimeter of the Island (one clockwise, the other anticlockwise) so you can get an island tour for about £2. Also for a few pounds you can buy a one day ticket which enable you to hop on and off the local buses when and wherever you wish. We used this ticket (purchase on board the bus) to visit the Underground Hospital then to get to the Little Chapel and also the Occupation Museum.

Thanks everyone for your replies and encouragement. My TA phoned Princess but they would not offer a reduction because it was less than 90 days.

I know that booking conditions differ for US cruisers but has any one in the UK managed to get a new lower price from Princess after they have paid the final balance? We booked and paid the full amount last week as it was less than 90 days before the start of the cruise and have just notice that the price has dropped even further. Just wondered if it was worth telephoning my TA.

The botanical gardens just outside Kingstown are worth a visit. Either take a taxi or walk (it took us about 45 minutes but it is an uphill walk and can be quite hard going in the heat) It cost a few dollars to get in and is much quieter in the afternoons as most of the tours go there in the morning.

Last year we took a water taxi to the beach, cost I think was $15 US return, but the beach is very small, especially when the tide comes in and is overcrowded by midday. To get back to the ship we had to return with the same boat that took us there. We were given the impression that all the boats were part of the same company and that we could go back when we liked but it wasn't that straightforward as they operate independently. So beware. We won't be going back to that beach.

Take the train one stop down the line to Santa Marinella. It is a small seaside resort town. I think there is a charge of a couple of euros to use the beach. Its worth a wander for an hour or so and gets you out of Civitavechia. There is a good ice cream shop on the main street. The train fare is only a couple of Euros each way.