Zoey

I’m considering booking a cruise on PG but from the videos I’ve seen I haven’t seen any outdoor shade in which to lounge and read a book. I would love to see the Tahitian islands but sailng solo I can really only afford a porthole or window cabin so no balcony on which to enjoy my vacation leisure reading. I do not like to just sit in the sun to read. Will I be able to find shade on board? Thanks in advance!

I always cruise solo and the few times I've sailed Royal I paid a 200% solo supplement - in other words I paid for two people. Unless I'm getting a reduced fare by sailing in one of their very few solo cabins which are only available on a few ships, it only seems fair that if they want to charge me for two and treat me as two people (even though I only eat - and very little at that - for one) I should be able to bring on two bottles. What am I missing here?

Welcome to the new Azamara!

I'm afraid if I ever splurged on a suite, which I won't, that I might put somebody out of work because I would tell the cruise line that I don't want a butler provided in my fare. I don't even like the connotation of the word 'butler.' But for those who enjoy and appreciate having one, I hope you can get these issues resolved.

Thanks for your input. Was there any overly loud, annoying music played anywhere?

Sometimes I think your responses sound just a bit harsh (which I've been accused of before and it's not true :), but I LOVE what an egalitarian you are! We might get along splendidly.

Apparently I didn't make myself clear. I asked if the crew traveling on the transatlantic from Lisbon to Miami in November who will spend four or five months on sailings between Miami and the Caribbean might prefer to be tipped in US dollars during the trip from Lisbon to Miami so they would have US dollars to spend when they go ashore in Miami or the Caribbean (which accepts US dollars) to do their shopping, etc. I know on the past cruises I've been on I always see crew members going into the local places near port to do shopping.

I meant for going ashore to shop, etc.

I tip for room service. On a transatlantic from Europe to the US for the winter season do you think the crew might prefer tips in US dollars for use in Miami and most of the Caribbean?

Instagram? Count me out.

I wish I had just ignored this thread. I'm scheduled for my third Azamara cruise in November (Pursuit twice prior to Covid) and all I can say is 'yikes!' and I'm scared. I can overlook some little things related to issues like supply chain delays, etc., but broken toilet seats and missing fan and light covers are really unacceptable. I think maybe the launch of Onward should have been delayed a bit longer until some of these issues could be resolved.

Haven’t had my morning espressos yet so all I can say is……yuck.

After 2.5 years of no vacations I was looking forward to my second Azamara sailing but just canceled it. I’m immunocompromised and fully vaccinated and even though it’s no guarantee of not coming down with Covid flying into the port, I’m hesitant to be on a small ship for 10 days without pre-boarding testing, which was a requirement when I booked. I worry most about long-Covid symptoms on top of my AI condition. I’ll just hope for another chance next year and will do something closer to home. Maybe a rental on the beach on the East coast. I sincerely hope all of you your cruise and stay negative throughout your journied.

I’d prefer to take the covid test and have the Patio open for dinner during my cruise.

Did you happen to hear or ask why it wasn’t being opened in the evening? I assume they would say it’s due to a staffing shortage. I’ll be glad when that reason/excuse can stop being used.

Thanks for taking time to post your review. I really enjoyed my pre-covid 2019 Azamara cruise and have another booked for November. I’ve been reading some not so great things concerning Azamara lately on CC so I’ve been debating cancelling my November cruise before final payment is due the 23rd and booking something with Celebrity, which I’ve cruised with about a half-dozen times. Things may get better with Azamara and Onward by November but I’m kind of afraid to take that chance. November will be my first time off work in 18 months so I really don’t want to be disappointed with my choice. I guess Celebrity could disappoint me but hasn’t yet. I’ll have to make up my mind in the next two weeks.

Thanks everyone! And it's not that I'm worried about figuring out how to use the Medallion, it's really just the cell phone app I don't want to use so I can, like I said, lock it in the safe. I don't have a problem using it for my drinks or opening the door as long as I don't also have to carry my phone around. I guess for now I'll leave Princess on the list. It's Sky Princess I'm looking at.

Don't yell at me....I have read through this forum and the Princess Medallion Class FAQ on the Princess website and I'm still not quite understanding the process. I have a very stressful job which requires all day communications with lots of clients every day. I cruise to escape all communications and electronics. In fact, the first thing I do on a cruise ship is turn my iphone off and lock it in the safe until the night before disembarking when I charge it in the event of problems traveling back home. And I don't take a laptop or my ipad. My questions are 1) do you HAVE to use a cell phone for the Medallion stuff? and 2) if not, the surface of the medallion looks so small how do you even enter information onto it? I'm getting ready to book a cruise for October or November and I have three options - Princess, Azamara or Celebrity. IF using the Medallion and/or cell phone is an absolute requirement, I am going to eliminate Princess from the list. Thanks in advance for your help!

I’ve been on approximately 15 cruises and booked every one of them directly with the cruiseline. Mainly because I’m, unfortunately, a control freak who doesn’t want to have to go through a TA if I have an issue. I’ve never had any kind of problem or issue dealing directly with any cruiseline.

So there’s a place to buy alcohol at the Lisbon port? I went to one at the port in Barcelona a couple of years ago and it was SO convenient - I didnt have to lug my three bottles from my hotel to the port.

Sounds like a first world problem to me. Hope it gets better for you.

I think stairway mirror is the weirdest thing - and I like funky or whimsical. I’m almost obsessed about it. Hahaha! I’ll definitely avoid the stairs during my November cruise.

Shower curtains

I've actually sailed on Azamara before but didn't carry on any wine on board. I've talked my employer, who has only cruised on Oceania in the past, into trying out Azamara. However, he's a little bit of a wine snob and he'd like to carry a few bottles on board, that he plans on picking up in Italy prior to boarding, to drink on his balcony and in the cabin. We've both searched the Azamara website and all we found was a section that said that you can bring on your "favorite wines, beer and spirits," but I couldn't find where it gave a limit. I swear I thought I read once - somewhere - that it was one bottle per person for a couple, or two per stateroom if sailing solo. Although I guess that would be kind of silly if you were bringing on beer(s). Anybody have a definitive answer? Thanks in advance!