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. 

1 hour ago, kool kruiser said:

We have just returned today from the Rome-Barcelona cruise, having been onboard for a back to back in May. Well, the ship has been vastly improved over the last five months, so many wrinkles ironed out. Further work continues as stated but the ship really is so much better. We thought the food in Discoveries was excellent, better than in May, when it was still pretty good ! White Night was lovely, although, sadly, no lobster. Flamenco dancers for our Destination Celebration were terrific and CD Eric's show remains the tops.

Bingo was offered and the officer-hosted dinner returned, for those interested. Embarkation Windows buffet was a full lunch style offering but the Patio was not open. The frozen yoghurt machine was operational.

Not wishing to strike a controversial note but we absolutely loved the Atlas bar. The 'classic' cocktails they make are superb, much better than in the other bars, the service and atmosphere is at the highest level and the three screens showing live-recorded music trios enhances the vibe. For us, the only place to go for a pre-dinner drink!! Incidentally, a much greater selection of books is now available in the Living Room and the travel books are also there in the Den.

We had another great cruise, thoroughly enjoyable and so relaxing.

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

22 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Agree with you.  Worst was in Cozumel when the VIP section of tables was separated with red velvet ropes on stanchions.  Most VIP tables were half-empty yet some were seated far away from the performers.  Just poor form.  Hope we never see reserved section in Cabaret.

 

Don't have a problem with canapes or other treats in suites.  It's having some part of the ship where some, but not others, are allowed that irks me.  The spa deck would now fall into that category if day or whole-cruise passes are not available to others for a fee.

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. 

15 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Try doing an internet search on "tipping in Italy" (or whichever country you're visiting).

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. 

On 9/9/2022 at 4:45 PM, OC Cruisers said:

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

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. 

16 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Just off the Pursuit. My opinion of the included wines are they are worth about $6/bottle. If that is what you drink at home you might find them fine.  I upgraded to the Ultimate package after tasting those. The ultimate package wines available were $18-$25/bottle retail (California prices). A plus was I could have a cognac after dinner on the package too.  

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. 

1 hour ago, harrodsfan said:

Thanks. Who knows what will happen in the next weeks. At least you don’t have a pre boarding Covid test.  

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

7 hours ago, beatnix said:

@Xcelsior Thank you!

On our sailing in May on Quest Patio was also closed in the evenings. That was really unfortunate because the weather was perfect and 550 passengers on board. 

So I hope the best for August - it is so chillinig outside!

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. 

3 hours ago, les37b said:

 

Nope. The duty free in Lisbon is right next to the embarkation station and clearly visible in the bags being carried on.

 

Whilst wine would receive a corkage charge if drank in the restaurant, consuming in your room is fine. It lowers their bar bill if you think about it logically. I knew the orange gin wouldn't have been available onboard...... But wished I'd swapped the Smirnoff for some fever tree Clementine tonic. 😆

 

 

 

 

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. 

2 hours ago, yogagal47 said:

At present we are in the Cruise port terminal in Athens waiting to board the journey and it is a total disorganized disastrous mess. If I face my satisfaction with Azamara on this experience this will be my last cruise on Azamara.

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

15 minutes ago, Xcelsior said:

Gotta say that these pics aren't exactly exciting me.  Think the staterooms look better on the existing ships.  That lobby stairwell mirror has got to go....and the Atlas Bar furnishings look cheap and uncomfortable.  Is there going to be a better surface for the pool deck?  The ship doesn't look ready.

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. 

2 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Thanks for all the great info and pics!  Sorry if I missed it, but what is the stateroom shower situation please?  Shower curtains or something else?  I am mostly interested in “entry level” staterooms.

Shower curtains

So do folks, or their travel agents, not look at deck plans any longer to research what is above or below them if they’re somebody who is bothered by a little noise, talking or scooting chairs? I’ve booked over fourteen cruises on my own, including Azamara, but never, especially on a ship I’ve never sailed, booked a cabin without checking out what is above or below me. If a few cabins are complaining about noise on the Veranda and I was in charge I would tell them to check the deck plan next time. If it was a guarantee booking I’d tell them they took the gamble of not selecting their desired location. 

Thanks everyone!