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I am booked on the 7 day out of St Maarten having had the first section cancelled from Barbados to St Maarten leaving Nov 28th. As yet I have no notice of cancellation of 7th Dec 7 day sailing although having great difficulty trying to get to St Maarten to link up with Dec 7th sailing. At present very hesitant to book hotel in Barbados for days when should have been on Odyssey and then try to get to St Maarten for Dec 7th only to find that cruise cancelled as well!

Booked flights with BA out of LGW. I am beginning to think the second week departing St Maarten is not cancelled since I have had no info in that regard. Trying to get from Barbados to St Maarten is almost impossible without going to various other islands for connection at huge expense! Would love to know if those who booked as a two week cruise (rather than me who booked two back to backs) are faring if this is the case?

I have also had the cruise on Odyssey cancelled on November 28th. However I booked the cruise the following week (Dec 5th) separately as an afterthought and have had no notification of cancellation regarding that cruise. This is a dilemma since I have paid for my flights from London to Barbados return in order to avail of the ship leaving from Barbados and return to Barbados two weeks later. If the second week is not cancelled it will leave from St Maarten and it is very difficult to get to St Maarten from Barbados to embark and would also involve staying in a hotel in Barbados for the first week of the cancelled cruise! Does anyone know if the cruise departing St Maarten December 5th has also been cancelled? I'm not naturally a pessimist but am beginning to think those who say cruising will not recover without a vaccine are totally right! The thought of spending the next day or two trying to rearrange is not appealing since it could ultimately change again! How are the cruise lines going to survive if this continues much longer?

Like many I was informed of the re-routing of the Sojourn departing Singapore March 22nd. I was advised to “rearrange” flights from UK to go to Perth rather than Singapore and route home from Hobart, Tasmania instead of Manila which I had booked. Naturally the airline was not interested and said I would have to book and pay for new tickets. Had I agreed to go on the new itinerary Seabourn would have given a more generous compensation and on board credit. As it is, because I cancelled, they will only give the price of the cruise as a future credit to be used within 1 year. However the new itinerary from Perth, Australia has now been cancelled and all passengers offered a full refund or future credit worth 125%. I spoke to TA who said because I cancelled Seabourn will not give me those more advantageous terms. I am therefore out of pocket for 3 nights hotel in Singapore, cancellation charges from my airline fare, hotel in Dubai homebound and also suffer the indignity of seeing other passengers getting either a full refund or a 125%  credit for a future cruise! This cannot be equitable, and while I have sympathy for the current difficulties experienced by cruise lines, I feel there should be a level playing field.

Much dissatisfaction is going to ensue if SB do not get their act together.

It is excellent news that Azamara have listened to customers and abandoned the idea of doing away with the open dining area at the stern. However it is a great pity they didn't listen to the multiple complaints and pleas to retain the harpists on both ships. They were a delight, especially before dinner, and seemed to sum up the quiet elegance which is Azamara. Somehow, while still very good, the ships seem to have lost a vital essence which perfected the brand! Could we not renew the plea?

I have just returned from a truly memorable and wonderful one week cruise on the Quest. My opinion of Azamara has not changed - and especially since the internet and laundry have been reinstated. Food was superb, staff were friendly and welcoming, Captain, Cruise director and Hotel Manager still fantastic as ever. However since this is my sixth or seventh cruise little things have changed and changes which I think were not necessary. I would love to hear other opinions which I suspect in many cases would agree with my conclusion.

1. Bring back the harpist before dinner and at other times on board

2. Do away with Azamazing Evenings as they must cost a fortune and generally mean grabbing a quick snack either before or after the event thus missing a relaxing dinner! They are great in theory, but generally are not worth all the effort by Azamara or the passengers.

3. Go back to free wine and beer with meals but pay for your own drinks outside of that. Most of us can afford a cocktail or two each day if required.

Why subsidize those who want a lot more!

4. Why in the world bring in Art auctions which seem to reflect all that is worst in cruising. Admittedly it was not in our faces but took up space formerly used by a pianist for our pleasure. Azamara does not need this nonsense and I would doubt if they sold two pieces during the cruise because most of the passengers looked intelligent to me!

5. Revert to the old menu in Aqualina!

I know these suggestions will be a little controversial but I am convinced the majority would prefer the savings made reflected in decreased fares and returned harpist which could be feasible if the really expensive items were removed. We all loved Azamara when the above suggestions were a reality so why not go back to where we where when our love affair with this great cruise line began?!!

Let us know what you think, and especially those who have enjoyed and appreciated Azamara from near the beginning!

It would be interesting to hear Mr Pimentals opinion as well!

Having been to several I have to say that they are not universally popular with regulars. While it is greatly appreciated that Azamara try to give their customers a great evening it is a difficult thing to accomplish. Attendance mostly means you miss the usual dinner experience onboard. After a long day it is delightful to change, relax, shower and enjoy the food and conversation in the wonderful ambience of the dining room or speciality restaurants. Attending an Azamazing evening usually involves snatching a quick snack before departure or on return. A long journey through traffic can be tedious and especially so if the day has been tiring sightseeing or whatever. Not every event involves buses but we have now decided that it is better to stay on the ship and not get involved in all the hassle. This does not mean people should not do it or that we don't appreciate Azamara's efforts. It is just not for us or, we suspect, many who liked the idea but cannot now be bothered with the reality. We love Azamara but wish they had kept the harpist before dinner, only served free wine with meals and not full free bars, not initiated Azamazing evenings and kept the fares a little less. It seemed to suit everyone better and was a real niche product. It is still amongst the best cruise lines but it is the little things which count and the Azamazing evenings must cost a fortune, not only in dollars but also in organizational time.

I think you would find that few would object if they were binned and that fares were trimmed accordingly. It is still true that there is no such thing as a free lunch!

This further erosion of the very small things which made Azamara special is disappointing and worrying. In dollar terms not so earth shattering but in convenience and customer retention very vital. Laundry made it possible to travel with cabin baggage for a 7 night cruise to circumvent strict airline rules and expense relative to travelling with suitcases in Europe especially. This will now no longer be possible so the added expense is significant as well as the inconvenience. Please also do not publish these new arrangements as a benefit. We are not stupid and it is a universal reaction that these changes are detrimental. You took away our lovely harpists before dinner and now take the laundry and internet. Slippery slope business tactics and it will impinge on future bookings. If you want to stop something stop the Azamazing evenings. I have never been convinced that gulping an early dinner or a late dinner in order to attend a mostly fairly ordinary event was worth the hassle (for passengers) or expense (for Azamara) Return the harpists, free bag of laundry and internet and all will be forgiven.