Gina

Today I disembarked The Quest in Miami, so I thought I should share my experience. The traffic and airport check in were not the problem, it was the stevadores.

 

The ship was scheduled to dock at 8:30 AM. We were told we would be allowed to disembark after 8:30 AM, my flight was 12 noon, I thought that would be plenty of time.

 

First, due to heavy ship traffic we entered the ship channel over an hour late at 8:00 AM, we docked at ~8:45. Then the bags had to be unloaded before he first passengers were even allowed off the ship at ~9:45 AM. Then only group "one" bags were available.

 

Even though the bags were off no one was allowed to retrieve their bags (except group 1) until the stevadores unloaded and sorted all the bags. This was not completed until~10:30 AM. Luckily I was off the ship and grabbed my bags, cleared customs and got to the airport a bit after 11:AM and just made my flght with minutes to spare. My friend missed his 11:30 flight. As we left the port there were still 500 passengers behind us.

 

If I ever enter Miami again I will confirm with Guest relations that I am in departure group 1. Guest relations sends notices saying "have you made departure plans", mainly selling transfer packages. Well yes I had plans, I wanted to be off independently early and take a taxi, but THEY NEVER ASKED ME TO TELL THEM THAT (although I did provide that information during my check in). They assigned baggage tags by floor, and told us we could leave after 8:30 AM.

However, when there is a delay on the morning of departure (and yes I know that is out of their control), Group 1 gets priority baggage handling, and we waited ~2 hours for the stevadores.

 

So Miami lesson learned,

1) Book your flight late

2) be in departure group 1

I was on this sailing, had tag #17 (for flights between 1:00 and 2:00 pm) and was scheduled to disembark at 9:15 am. My number wasn't called until 11:15 am. The lines were long to leave the terminal and it was a bit of a hike to my prearranged transfer to the airport. TSA Pre Check was mobbed, as they only had one person working there. Luckily I had a later afternoon flight.

Cabin Number: 8056

Ship: Quest

Month/Year: February 2018

Is noise an issue?: Nothing bothersome. There was some noise from the hallway during the day and from the pool deck chairs above. There was also the normal creaking sounds during rougher seas.

Balcony Size: Narrow (but I'm used to larger ships)

Any other comments: This cabin is close to the stairs and elevators and was a short walk to Windows, The Patio and the Pool Deck. I was impressed with the amount of storage in the cabin, but the bathroom was tight with shallow shelving and little space under the sink.

According to this, the tip is not included : https://help.uber.com/h/8459a496-5ed2-4f9d-b15c-d8afd9ccf34f

Hi Cruisers,

 

We are flying into San Diego next Tuesday for an Azamara cruise and were wondering about the best way to get to the cruise port. Does anyone know the approximate cab fare? Any other suggestions? There are just 2 of us. Thanks.

I found this on taxi fare finder: https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=SD&from=San+Diego+Cruise+Ship+Terminal&to=San+Diego+International+Airport+(SAN)&lang=en

I'm on the same cruise, but will be traveling via transfer from the Sheraton.

Going on the Panama Cruise in February from San Diego to Miami. Stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Columbia. Just wondering if you could get by with just U.S. Dollars. Dollars would be used primarily for tipping shore excursions.

Hi sabrefan, I posted this question last month. It seems we can use US Dollars in each port.

Thanks for the replies!

I'm on the February 20, 2017 Historic Passage East Voyage (Panama Canal). I've never cruised to this part of the world and my question is directed to those who have. A brief internet search shows the following currencies that are accepted in each port:

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico ~ US Dollar

Huatulco, Mexico ~ Pesos

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico ~ Pesos

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala ~ US Dollar

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua ~ US Dollar

Puntarenas, Costa Rica ~ US Dollar

Cartagena, Colombia ~ Colombia Pesos

My travel agent tells me that US Dollars will be accepted in Mexico, up to a total of $100. I plan to need cash only for tips, drinks, lunch, or incidentals. I'm prepared to purchase pesos prior to my trip, but want to make sure I need to.

Thanks for any replies!

I am hoping that Azamara will make a similar change to the February 20, Quest Panama Canal cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was thinking the same thing! Guess we will find out.

I am new to Azamara and have a cruise booked for October 2018. If a promotion or lower rate becomes available before my final payment, am I charged the Azamara cancellation fee per person of $50 or is that waived because I am not technically cancelling but just rebooking with a better offer?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Julie

Hi Julie, I rebooked my February 20, 2018 Panama Canal sailing for a promotional BOGOHO rate and was not charged a cancellation fee.

Familygoboston, thank you for your detailed review and photos. I am eagerly following along. My first Azamara Journey cruise isn't until December 2018, so I have plenty of time to gather as much information as possible. I will be traveling solo, were there many solos on your sailing?

Looks like Quest will stop at Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne NJ USA on October 8 & 9:

http://www.cruiseliberty.com/cruiseinfo.htm

Scroll down to see these dates.

Thanks Radio, I enjoyed your review of GOTS.

Radio, I sailed the same itinerary on Grandeur December 19, 2015. Looking forward to your review. I had problems with the internet connection in my stateroom on deck 8. Lower decks in the public spaces get much better reception. Also you will have cell service in Port Canaveral and Key West.

No, no coffee maker in any suite just the butlers number to call

Thank you for your response. I will have my butler on speed dial.

Sorry to hijack the thread but...does anyone know if there is a coffee maker in a CC Suite?

Riocca and critterchick, thanks for your input. I appreciate all the replies.

Thank you Jb-lhr and Sanatee!

^Thanks Bob, for this. I went with 8056 for all of the reasons you listed.

N1 suites are midships, Gina. N2 suites are aft and therefore less expensive.

I did have them confused. I'm looking at 8056 or 8059.

Just to clarify, generally N2's would be cheaper not more expensive than N1's.

 

As explained, many cruisers prefer a more midship location.

Thank you for pointing this out. I had the two confused.

Thank you all for your replies to my post. I've gained some valuable information. I'm traveling solo, so I really don't care if I have a tub or just a chair. I was only wondering why the N2 was a little more expensive. I suppose aft is the better real estate, is this because lifeboats are mid-ship?

I also need to correct my cruise date, it's Christmas 2018 out of Miami. 15 night West Indies, I love this itinerary. I'm sure by then we will all know how the CC suites are set up!

I've never cruised Azamara (obviously) but I am a veteran of Royal Caribbean. It seems the cruise industry thinks everyone wants a mega ship. I prefer a smaller ship, so I figured why not try Azamara.

Gina, this link should take you to a video about the changes to be made in drydock. The first stateroom shown is a Club Continent suite, first the main room, then the bath. These are renderings and there will, I'm sure, be changes based on feedback from those using the two model staterooms since they were redone on Quest in July.

 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rv_Kv5ExJVc?rel=0

Thank you for the video. Everything looks so nice.

After the refit N1 suites on the port side will have tubs and N2 suites on the starboard side will have tubs. Others will have large, tiled, walk-in showers. None of the Club Continent suites will have separate tub and shower.

 

The showers are large (basically the size of the old tub--about 5 feet long and 30 inches wide). If you get a suite with a tub you have to shower by climbing over the 29" high side of the tub while hoping the ship is fairly stable. You are just showering while standing in the tub.

 

For someone mobility-challenged it's not easy--and there are no Club Continent suites designated for and kept available for such people. Suites with showers will be booked first so if you are booking late you will be stuck with an obsolete tub and the need to climb into and out of it in order to wash.

Thank you so much for this detailed information. The new shower sounds perfect, it is similar to what I have at home!

So is it pretty much a gamble until after the retrofit as to whether a suite will have a tub? I have not seen a detailed diagram of the bathroom despite my internet investigation skills. Are the shower and tub combined or separate?

Thank you so much for answering my question. I'm planning to book the 2017 holiday cruise out of Miami and I want to get as much information as possible.

Gina