mare s.

One of our traveling companions on our last cruise came down with "something" three days into our cruise. Could have been Noro...could have been something she ate in our first port. But she was quarantined for 48 hours until she was symptom free. She wasn't happy to miss out on some of the activities but understood the need to protect other passengers and crew. She received excellent care from the medical staff (who called several times after her first visit to them to see how she was feeling and if she needed anything.) Room service brought her food (when she was able to eat) and, thank goodness, no one else fell ill.

I must say that the worst Noro outbreak (and it absolutely was an outbreak...so much so that we were in the newspapers and the port authorities in Shanghai didn't want to let any of us on shore) was on a Princess cruise. I think the staff didn't react quickly enough to the first reports of illness and the virus spread like crazy. (we, fortunately, did not get sick although I did contract a respiratory virus at the end of the cruise)

I would always want the ship's staff to over react rather than put others at risk.

Hi Miriam...FWIW, I tried looking at that cruise and got the same result as you did. Initial pricing for outside showed as $1499 plus taxes. But when I went further to book an outside cabin, the price showed as over $8000 for two people. Something is obviously wrong with the website pricing. But I don't think it's intentional...probably just another case of very poor website maintenance (which has been an ongoing problem with Azamara's site.) I always go through a TA (usually an on line one) to book...I just wouldn't trust the website!

mare

Just came across this review...beautiful photos. We're going on almost the same itinerary (and on Azamara) in 2015 so lots of great hints.

Thanks.

Yes, on our 2015 cruise too which we booked under the Ocean View to Veranda promotion, the price showing now for interior is the same as what was the Ocean View. So definitely smoke and mirrors here. But we're happy because our great T.A. got us even more money off than the promotion offered. Now, if Azamara had actually kept the prices the same as the brochure, we might have saved a bit more, but I'm not complaining. You really do have to compare and do some homework.

Unfortunately, being in close quarters anywhere (airplane, office, or cruise ship) makes it much easier for viruses to spread, no matter how much you clean. And for anyone whose respiratory system is the littlest bit compromised, it is so much easier to fall ill. We've been on cruises with rampant Noro virus (what an experience that was! btw, it wasn't on Azamara) and I don't think I've ever been so ill as with the upper respiratory virus I contracted on a cruise in Asia...lasted weeks. The OP said she noticed the dust but didn't know about the CPAP filters until after she arrived home so I think we should cut her some slack. However, if it had been me, I would have mentioned the dust to my cabin attendant and, if not resolved, would definitely have mentioned it to the Hotel Director. That's what they are there for.

I certainly would have kept complaining about wet, mildewed carpet until something more substantial had been done.

I've found that the smallest complaint is taken very seriously and handled expeditiously (with a lot of follow up...sometimes too much LOL) I must admit, though, that I was not impressed with one of the people in Land Discoveries..the first time I've experienced a snarky response from anyone on Azamara.

During the day, quite informal. Depending upon the itinerary and weather, anything from workout clothes to jeans to capris to shorts! In the evening, a bit more dressed up...no jeans in the dining room, no shorts (we ate in Discoveries or the specialty restaurants for dinner) but probably could get away with it in Windows. A bit more formal in the specialty restaurants in general, but no necessity for formal gowns or tuxes for men. We did see lots of people dressed very nicely in the dining room...some of the men in jackets but most in nice collared shirts. Women in pretty tops and pants and dresses. My standard attire (since it's easier to pack) was a pair of elegant slacks and a blouse or sweater with some sparkle and perhaps a soft jacket or sweater or other similar wrap (since it can get cool in the a/c) But I've seen women in cocktail dresses too. So it's pretty much what you like and feel comfortable in.

Enjoy!

Holland ships are lovely and service good and cabins larger overall. We never felt crowded with 2000 passengers (I would never go larger than this, though.) If you enjoy formal nights then by all means, Holland should be your pick. But Azamara's resort casual, eat when you want, included cocktails and wine, and superior service and food (IMO) would win the day for me. We've been on HAL, Princess, and Celebrity and enjoyed all our cruises, but have become dedicated Azamara cruisers because there is just something about the ships and their crew that make us feel at home (I know that's an overused phrase but it really is true.) Also, when you compare itineraries, look for port times...you'll probably find that Azamara has longer port stays (and perhaps an overnight).

Just my 2 cents.

We booked with this promotion...and as Deirdre pointed out, we got a V3 balcony (which we prefer anyway) and paid oceanview price. Not as great a deal as paying for inside and getting balcony, but pretty good. Saved several hundred dollars.

I took advantage of a special at the spa on our January cruise and I thought the technician was really good and I enjoyed the experience. Yes, there is a little selling at the end but I just smiled and said "thanks, I'll think about it" and I didn't feel terribly pressured. It is the same on land...spas make much of their profit selling product.

Proofreading...yes! I just got the survey which started out "Dear Gerard" Not me, not even close!

My complete review of the Sea of Cortez cruise has been published.

Here's the link:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=250040

We went to the Azamazing evening in Saigon and thought it was fantastic. We have been to four Azamazing Evenings so far and have enjoyed them all. Unfortunately Azamara give out so much hype about these events and guests end up disappointed because the food is never exactly gourmet! We usually eat in the grill before we go!

 

By the way I have noticed that no-one ever checks the names of guests against a list so I am not sure how they would know if you didn't turn up!

On our recent cruise, there were warnings in Pursuits that we should all eat dinner first (we went to pool grill and ate...a bit early for us, but doable) When we went to Cabaret to pick up our tender stickers, we were asked our cabin # and they collected our Azamazing tickets. So I guess for this event, at least, they knew who was attending.

Mare, you still have time to ask the question yourself since Chef Van Rijsbergen doesn't have his chat time until Thursday afternoon. Here, this is from the link for the chat.

We want your questions! Have a question for a specific staff member or Azamara Club Cruises in general? Email cruise@cruisechatlive.com and we’ll do our best to get your question answered onboard the ship!

 

If anyone wants to follow along any of the chats, this is the conversation. https://twitter.com/azamaraquest

Thanks!

Lots of fresh fruit! And all of it very tasty. And at dinner one night in Discoveries there was a fondue dessert...chunks of fruit and mini-marshmallows to dunk in chocolate...heaven!

I don't have Twitter, but would anybody who does and is on the chat with the Chef, ask him if he ever gives out recipes? (or if an Azamara cook book is in the works) We had a couple of incredible pasta dishes on board last week and my DH would love if I could make the sauces at home...one was a sauce with pancetta and the other a sauce over gnochetti with swordfish. Yummy. I was going to go to the cooking demo on board but the time conflicted with the marine biologist's lecture (which was absolutely wonderful)

Thanks.

Sorry we didn't have a chance to meet...we ducked out of the Meet and Mingle early to go to dinner. I have to agree with everything you said...although I didn't think being served by the officers was demeaning...they were having fun and so were we. And they make a great crepe suzette...Phillip kept pouring on the liquor!

Yes, the age demographic on this cruise was much older...by far older than on our other Azamara cruises. I think it was because it wasn't a very port intensive cruise and because it was an American port departure.

The ship is starting to look its age and we noticed the wear in the carpets...even in the areas that had been recarpeted in 2010.

Couldn't agree with you more about the singers and dancers. The lead singers were pretty bad, IMO. Didn't speak with them outside the shows...but the secondary female singer was very sweet...she ran the origami classes.

Food was terrific, as always. I had the "healthy choice" in Discoveries almost every night...the chef definitely has a way with fish...perfectly cooked and beautifully presented.

Hope to see you on another Azamara cruise.

mare

Just returned from cruise with stops in Mazatlan, La Paz, Topolobampo, Guaymas, Loreto, and Cabo San Lucas. We felt perfectly safe in all ports. In Mazatlan we took a tour out of the city to Copola and Concordia...delightful little towns and the people there were very welcoming. We spoke to one B&B owner who told us to tell our friends to come to visit again...their economy has really been hurt by the lack of tourists. There was quite a police presence in every port and I think they are trying their best to make tourists feel confident.

Hi. We have never been to La Paz and Loreto. It is offered on an itinerary we are looking at. We have been to Cabo (good snorkling and massages), PV (several tourist attractions and Walmart), and Ensenada.

 

Please share what these ports are like and possibly compare then to Cabo, PV, or Ensenada. We are trying to figure out if there is something interesting or worthwhile there to see or do.

 

Thanks.

Just returned from cruise that stopped in both places. Honestly, we weren't terribly impressed with La Paz...probably because we took a ship excursion (La Paz City and Artisans) that was dreadful. The malecon looked beautiful (though we didn't stop there) and some friends who live in Loreto said that they enjoy La Paz very much. As for Loreto...it was our favorite stop. Beautiful little town...lots of nice restaurants and shops and a gorgeous waterfront. Went on a panga to Coronados Island...fabulous. Saw hundreds of dolphins and a blue whale surfaced just a few yards from our boat. The water was crystalline but a bit too cold for comfortable snorkeling, but you could wade our a few feet and look down and see fish! I suspect that Cabo was this nice a few years ago.

Back home today. All in all it was another wonderful cruise and I'll be writing a more detailed review in a day or two.

As for the Azamazing Evening...I'm afraid it wasn't so amazing for me, although I do admit that some people seemed to enjoy it very much. Logistically it worked perfectly...we were loaded onto tenders and then onto buses with a minimum of problems (same on the way back) but it did feel a bit like a cattle call...we were herded a bit! The venue was changed and the new one seemed very nice, but we really didn't have a chance to walk around and see it...the process of getting us all there and back plus the show used up all available time. As for the show...I thought it was quite cheesy and certainly not "A Step Back in Time." Went on far too long...the fire dancing at the end was quite nice, though. The best part was the fireworks at the end. Quite close and very nicely done. Food consisted of meringue cookies, chocolates, and tiny petit fours. Weren't bad but certainly not "local delicacies" I think Azamara did the best with what they had available in the port, but a couple of people I spoke to agreed that it wasn't really worth the hype. I also had my first (and I hope last) encounter with a less than pleasant Azamara staff person...I guess a number of people had complained to her at the venue (I know one gentleman asked if those who weren't happy could be taken back to the ship early...the answer was "no") but when I expressed my concerns I received quite a snippy and sarcastic response. Really not in keeping with the rest of the absolutely wonderful staff.

Apart from this and less than brilliant entertainment throughout the cruise (except, of course, for Max, who was his usual wonderful self)...we had a wonderful time. We had terrific enrichment lecturers (one, a marine biologist, was outstanding.)

I'll post my complete review as soon as I get a minute.

Just got back from Sea of Cortez and we did have some local dancers for our White Night in Loreto. They were very good.

What we've heard on board was that RCI insisted on making early announcement even though Azamara was not ready and that top tier benefits would be announced in April. Larry Pimental is supposed to be on board next week and I'll bet he will get lots of questions.

Been talked into going by travel companions so I will be reporting back. It is going to be quite a logistics problem to get everyone on tenders and buses...we are told they will call us by floor and room number...we are to proceed to cabaret and get sticker for tender and then to shore and to a bus. We'll see how it works.

Saw lots of whales this morning while I was doing my usual morning walk on deck 10. Soon we will arrive in Cabo, so bye bye for now.

Mare

Back again from Loreto. Capt Jose is terrific...almost as good as capt Carl. White Night last night and it really was fun. Just heard that the venue for our azamazing evening has been changed "due to logistical problems." Instead of botanical garden they are taking us to a hotel and there will be a folklorico show. A warning to eat dinner before departure...I guess just desserts will be served. Not sure if we will go...we had local dancers on board last night and it seems that most of the evening is going to be spent going to and returning from the hotel. I will report back if we do go, or I'm sure someone else will.

Mare

New program was announced at Le club voyage co ktail party and benefits on the Pursuits. I can't see any difference in benefits between discoverer and plus and platinum. Doesn't make sense and so I'll be asking about it.

Hi all. Just returned from ship excursion in Mazatlan. It was very good. Just 23 of us on the bus. The entertainment so far has been the singers and dancers and a violin duo. The singers tried hard but IMO not nearly as talented as on our previous cruises. And I guess I'm not a huge fan of violin unless its with a symphony orchestra. But Max is good and we have a guitarist who is good, so all not lost.

Park Lane not too intrusive but it a shame to see the area inMosaic formerly e piano area now is the Park Lane desk and another long table with liquor bottles (for premium upgrades) I am happy with what is offered and am steadily working my way through the included cocktails! Tonight is Le Club Voyage cocktail party so I should have more to say about Capt Jose.

Mare