john1970

I am amazed they would give an upgrade for free unless they had to. It's not an incentive to passengers to buy a decent cabin if they here they might get it for nothing.

We had a lovely trip on Regal Princess in September and were happy with the mask rules. On our cruise though,  there were many people that ignored the rules and not once did I see a crew member say a word to them.  I would adhere to the new regulations but I am sure constantly taking off and putting on a non medical mask would make it totally useless and unhygienic. I feel it's a bit like airport security in that it won't do much but might make us feel a bit better. I haven't got a cruise booked until April next year in the hope that things are a little more normal by then and we would have got through the winter surge of covid.

Finnair are the national carrier and Helsinki is their hub. They are focussed on transfer traffic especially from West to East and vice versa. It isn't a long time for the connection but it is within their minimum connection time and if booked on one ticket they will place you on the next available service if you are delayed. If the flight is on your way home then I wouldn't worry. If it was on your way to meet the cruise and you hadn't left a day leeway then I would not book it.

We booked an N2 on the Onwards Black Sea intensive for June next year. The cost of the balcony plus is now more than we paid and the same suite grade is over GBP1800 per person more expensive. I always see the Black Sea cruises and they are never cheap so I figured this one would only go up. For once I might have booked at the right time!

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Can't you order from the stateroom TV?

 

Not everyone has a digital device that can run the app.

I ordered room service using the interactive TV in our cabin. We both had the plus package. I had an orange juice that on the screen said USD3.75 and I confirmed the order. When it came I checked the online account and the drink had not been charged for so I am guessing the package kicked in. 

I could only book my free first night suite dinner when we had been allocated a cabin. When it was a guarantee the discount did not show. The minute we had a cabin number on the app it could be booked with the deduction making it a zero purchase.

We are due to fly from Rome next year in April. We have booked a flight at 12:55 from Fiumicino but to be honest not sure if that will be too early. I booked using airmiles so I can change it quite easily. It might be that we even overnight in Rome to save on the airport stress.

I will believe it when I see an official release or on their website.

I went to book my first night speciality dining. The app failed and gave me an error message about my address.  I then realised that the field for state/province/county was now empty. I believe that they update the app and add things leaving you to deduct afterwards what needs to be changed. I added this and then I was able to book my dining. I have to say the app really takes away your enjoyment of looking forward to your holiday. I don't know whose idea it was to go only to the app but they really need to think about this as their market and target audience are getting sick of it.

My TA just emailed to confirm the change for our seacation on the 23rd. Looking forward to exploring Liverpool.

I have booked an excursion for Belfast and don't mind only being on a ship's tour in a bubble. However,  the selection for Liverpool and Greenock are so uninspiring that it makes me wonder if a lot of people won't just stay on board. Maybe they will change their policy if they realise that a lot of people will stay on board using their drinks package costing them $$$$.

I am on the UK seacation in September and I was able to select 40 days before my cruise.

I would try and have a plan B in mind as airline schedules will often change this far out. I think  Vueling have a flight to Manchester at 1250 which looks direct. We are joining the ship on the 2nd and hopefully by then the world will have calmed down a little.

We always use the same TA in the UK who are very good and detail orientated. I had to cancel two cruises due to covid and they handled it very well with speedy refunds. I also had FCC with Azamara that did not match my certificates and they sorted all that for me. They also give a small discount. I value their service and continue to use them. I only booked once direct with RC and I gave up after invoice version 17 was emailed to me. I don't want to spend time on the phone to them sorting out any issues. I think there are very good companies out there but you might only find out how good when you encounter a problem.

11 hours ago, dides said:

We got our cabin allocated 3.5 weeks before the cruise. Have just described the check in process on this thread before this reply on post #15.

 

Many Thanks. I will keep my eye on the app. 

On 7/27/2021 at 10:24 PM, dides said:

I will probably do a blog post based on the first Regal Princess Seacation departing on Saturday.  I have done Live From threads before on the Med inaugurals of Majestic and Sky Princess but this is only a 3 nighter and am reluctant to spend it glued to my phone. It's been over 18 months since our last Princess cruise so want to soak it all in!  But if you have any burning questions then let us know and we will aim to find out the answers.

I am booked on September 23rd. I would be interested to know when you got your cabin allocation and what the whole check in was like including the covid test. Hope it's a good return to cruising.

The IATA travel centre can often be helpful when trying to work out travel regulations. It is usually good with transit visa requirements. It is geared for air travel only.

https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

We saw the northern lights from our balcony on the Crown Princess TA. This was early September on our crossing to NY. Very lucky leaving Iceland and we would not have had this experience without the balcony.

19 hours ago, annandme said:

We just booked the July 30, 11 night Black Sea cruise on the Onward.  It's 3 nights shorter when compared to this years canceled Black Sea cruise on the Pursuit (which we also had booked).  But since it's leaving from Istanbul rather than Athens it's able to do a full circle around the Black Sea rather than just going up to Odessa and back down again like the other Azamara itineraries.  It's also $3,500 less when compared to what we would have paid on the Pursuit this year, so, can't complain there.

 

WARNING: Be aware that this is the 4th time that we have booked a Black Sea cruise on Azamara with the previous 3 ALL being canceled.  Since I'm convinced that Azamara is just messing with us, personally, you take your chances if you also decide to book this cruise.  YOU HAVE BEEN FAIRLY WARNED!

We were brave and booked the 11 night black sea on June 29th 2022. I thought it was a very good deal for the itinerary and I am sure it will be very popular as it's hard to find a circular Black Sea itinerary. I am expecting changes and possible cancellations but I want something to look forward too and I love the itinerary. Let's hope the cruise goes ahead as planned but I will have a realistic attitude at the same time. Fingers crossed.

I know there are some very good Japanese tour operators and travel agents in the UK. I would check to see if there is something similar in the US. It is convenient to do it all through Azamara but you are definitely paying a very large premium for the privilege.

On the plus side I did get the email. Wouldn't it be a good idea to list prices and full itineraries in the preview part of the website? Unless I am missing something?

1 hour ago, L751 said:

Just checked the site it is saying no page found

You need to take out the spaces between barclays travel proof. It has to be all one word.

I might be missing something but I cannot see any cruise on the website before September 28th. 

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Some pretty interesting itineraries.

We are fine with and have been paying a pretty hefty per diem to sail Azamara, but some of these blow our comfort level out of the water, unfortunately.  No way that a V1 is worth ~$1200 per day for us. 

I now think that Silversea is cheaper than Azamara a lot of the time. They really need to be sensible with their pricing if they want people to book this far out.

I am booked on a UK seacation in September. I was browsing the excursions and saw one for Liverpool which was an 8 hour trip to an outlet mall. I can't see how that can fit into keeping the passengers into a 'bubble'. In the description it says that it's basically free time to shop. How is this any different from passengers leaving the ship and going shopping on their own? I am happy to adhere to their terms and conditions but I am wondering about their logic and questioning if some of this is to make as much money as possible from a captive audience.