crzrr

Hi Laurie.  We board Onward in a little over 2 weeks for a b2b.  Then in September we are on Journey for a Wine & Culture cruise.  Like you, we have only been on Journey and Quest.  This cruise on Onward will be our first (and second) time.  Our upcoming cruises in '24 and '25 are on Onward and Journey. 

Agree with lenoirm.  We have done this a couple of times.  A good TA will take care of it.

We did the AZ shore excursion overnight (it was Milford Sound to Dunedin on our cruise).  It was fabulous.   One of our favorites.  It was in 2017 and the cost was $1298 for both of us.  

1 hour ago, Sandora52 said:

Sue, 

 

Did you receive permission from Azamara? I got a real quip of a "you have to arrange onboard". Now with the situation in Peru, could it be different? 

 

I did.  I connected with a friend on the ship who contacted the Azamara port agent in Lima.  They suggested that I get a different departure since they could not confirm that there would be anyone from Peruvian immigration or security to allow us to leave.  We decided to book an early afternoon flight.  Just seemed easier to be sure.

Since we are there overnight and can come and go as we please during that time, it doesn't really make sense.  And you are right, the current situation could change lots of things.  I

1 hour ago, tgg said:

If tote bags are no longer an included amenity, they should be removed from the list of included amenities.

 

It's all about communication.

They are on Quest as well.  It's supply chain -- not removing them from included amenities.

Taking this thread back to the original post where there were no tote bags on Onward.  We have been on 3 AZ cruises since Nov. 2021 all on Quest.  Have 3 tote bags and 3 key card holders to show for it.  I'm guessing that it's supply chain issues since some ships have them and others don't.  

Also had the ultimate drinks package.  Everything listed on the Ultimate drinks list was available and very good.  We had noticed a decline in the quality of the included wines which is why we upgraded the drinks package and will continue to do so. The specialty cocktails were all excellent and a nice addition.

Someone mentioned the absence of the snack/tea trolley in the afternoon and having to ask.  That's been ongoing since Nov. 21 on the Quest.  We have been informed each time about that.  If someone has not been informed, that's on the butler.  But, it should also be mentioned in the list of amenities.

We will board Onward in January.  It will be interesting to see the differences!

No spots are held back for anyone.  It is best to figure out when you want to go and make reservations early.  

Coffee drinks in Mosaic are free to all - no package required.  If you want something like Bailey's to add to your coffee, then you will need the package.

We were on this cruise.  All visas were handled by the ship.  

I assume that you are talking about CC's on the legs of the world cruise in 2025.  If so, we were told that it would be a while until those are released.  They want to save access to those for people booking the entire world cruise.  We booked V2's for two of the legs while onboard recently.  That was the highest level allocated to the future cruise manager.

On 11/11/2022 at 3:00 PM, laurieb said:

may I ask what category?

V2 - it was all that was allocated for the individual segments.

Thanks to the awesome work of Matthew and Smiljka on the Quest, we booked the first two legs while onboard yesterday. . Love the itineraries!

1 hour ago, littlenanny said:

Does anyone know how to get a visa for Egypt for our upcoming Athens to Dubai trip.

have tried multiple times, but just keep getting thrown back to entering all details again.

have also tried to send a enquiry to them, but it just says wrong format submitted. Have checked double and triple checked all details

but it seems to be impossible.

any tips, I believe we can get them onboard, or at the entry ports  of Alexandria and Safaga has anyone done this ?

any information greatly appreciated.

 

Go to the AZ roll call for this cruise and you will find a lot of information.  If you are a US citizen then all visas are done onboard for this cruise as per the Visa Central website.  Others from the UK who have taken this same itinerary also say that it is done onboard for you.  

18 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

On an earlier cruise, we booked and paid for all excursions for an upcoming voyage.  We are now thinking about picking up the Indulgence package.  Two questions for the collective wisdom:

 

1) Is the pricing ($1499) the same, regardless of voyage length?

 

2) It seems that the only way for us to use the shorex credit is to cancel some tours onboard and immediately rebook it with the package credit.  Is this a possible work-around, and would the cancelled tours get refunded to our credit card?

 

Thanks for the assist - will be only our second Azamara cruise and still learning the specific ropes of the line.

Yes, the pricing is the same regardless of the length of your cruise.  Makes it a very good deal on longer voyages.

If you purchase the package while at home, the shore excursion credit shows up in your account almost immediately so you could cancel and rebook from home.  Yes, your refund shows up on your credit cards pretty quickly.  One caveat - when you booked your excursions for the upcoming voyage on board, did you receive a discount on the excursions?  If so, that discount would not be available when you rebook.  

Hope this helps.

It is possible to do.  Speak to Guest Relations and let them know and they can further guide you.  You will have to walk your own luggage off.  

25 minutes ago, PSULionLV said:

I had "complimentary" laundry with a More Package on a cruise in 2019. The laundry absolutely wrecked a number of t-shirts by apparently stretching them out over some type of perhaps ironing board (I've never really seen a commercial laundry at work). The white t-shirts were especially stretched (two almost went to my knees!). On my next cruise in December 2022, is there any suggestions on how to avoid this if I send out laundry again (I'll probably have a few bags with a More Package).

 

TIA, John

In 14 cruises I have never had anything come back stretched.  However, if you've had issues, I would not send out anything that you are worried about and take advantage of the laundry room to wash those items.  Even with free bags from the indulgence package and free bags based on loyalty, I still end up doing a load of laundry for things that I'm not comfortable sending out - like unmentionables 😲!

We are getting ready to enjoy our 15th Azamara cruise.  We have never been denied service at the Prime C bar... and have been encouraged to stay and have dinner at the bar if we did not have reservations for dinner.  However, it has never been as late as 8:45 which would be after the last seatings.  The bar staff does rotate around so it's entirely possible that the bartender would be moving to a different bar at that time.  Any bar orders from dining patrons could be filled elsewhere and brought in if needed.  

12 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

No idea who the restaurant manager is! Certainly not very visible. 

Just tried to book for Prime C but only two sittings. One too early and one too late for us. Other restaurants seem to somehow manage reservations at a wider range of times.

Did you ask for the time that you wanted?  Unless you are a group, you can usually get your preferred time.  Also, sitting at the bar in Prime C is an option and can be quite enjoyable.

10 hours ago, PSULionLV said:

The Azamara website does allow me to use the $1000 OBC promotional credit to buy the package, or at least I think it did. It will not let me use TA OBC though.

 

YMMV.

 

Best, John R.

How did you do it?  If you filled out the form and asked them to apply the credit, you will receive an email or call informing you that you must wait until you are onboard.  I don't see any way to book it and immediately apply the credit.  Only the promotional OBC shows up in your account.  Your OBC from your TA won't show up until you are onboard.

Hi - cocktails and alcoholic drinks are available throughout the day and evening at no charge.  There is an inclusive list of spirits.  You can upgrade to a premium package or an ultimate package which include more top shelf options as well as higher end wines (although the jury seems to be out on the quality of the ultimate wines).  You can find lists of current wines that others have been kind enough to share in other posts on this thread.  

The wines in the specialty restaurants are the same as in other venues.  You will get matched wines when you enjoy a chef's table dinner which is a wine and food pairing dinner.

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

Stating the obvious, they want you to use OBC for on-board products on which they earn a healthy margin. Using esp. non-refundable OBC for tips earns them nothing.
 

When my TA asks me if I want a discount or OBC, I always say discount because that’s 100% value to me. OBC to buy a bottle of wine for $75 that retails for $25 is giving 2/3s of my incentive back to the cruise line. 

OBC from your TA is refundable and you get it back on your credit card at the end of the cruise.  We always try and use our non-refundable AZ OBC but usually end up with extra refundable - so it's just like a discount.

11 hours ago, ProfessorB said:

I have a related question.  What happens if the price goes down after you get off the ship?  Will you still get the percent discount on the new lower price (assuming its before final payment)?

 

Thanks

Our experience has been that the booking onboard discount does transfer over when prices go down.

Yes - both of those.  The deposit is typically $550 per person (1/2 of the normal deposit).  Also, a discount based on loyalty status.  In addition, if you book in the first half of your cruise, you get on OBC of $300.  If it's in the second half of your cruise, you get $200.  

50 minutes ago, SomersetCruiser999 said:

Thanks crzrr. As I have a lot of OBC I want to use this to pay for an, ‘experience more essential package.’ if I call and book an, ‘experience more’ essential package, can I still use the OBC or would I have to pay using my credit card, which I don’t want to do? 

You would have to pay by cc.  You can only use your OBC when onboard.  

If you are using your OBC to purchase the package, you need to do it onboard.  If you are just paying for one of the packages - essential, indulgence, etc., then you can call and purchase those ahead of time.  That way you can use the shore excursion credit part to book excursions before your cruise.  Apparently you can book liquor packages ahead of time as well unless you want to get the loyalty discount applied.  I was just told that I would need to wait until I was onboard to purchase the ultimate drink package since I want to use my loyalty discount.