LOP

Love your post and completely agree.

 

Will see you in the bar. What are you drinking?:D

Thanks. I will be there, and something either clear or brown with/or without either a cube of ice or a drop of water:cool:

Love the comparisons on this thread, but since it is an Azamara board and so as not to upset the moderators and users, it would be wise to make sure to mention other lines less.........

Azamara, Azamara,Azamara, Azamara,Azamara, Azamara,Azamara, Azamara,Azamara, Azamara, oh! and Azamara:D

We are loyal to Celebrity and Azamara with a thrown in RCI here and there.

We have cruised almost every Celebrity ship including the century in 2010. We have always been in suites, mostly Royal and celebrity suites, a sky suite once or twice if it is one of the bigger ones on the aft.

Azamara only in Owner's suites aft.

If you are looking for night life and more to do onboard and more dining/bar variety and no interaction with senior officers then Celebrity is the the better choice especially with the lawn club on the s-class ships and renting a cabana for the length of the cruise like we do, a nice oasis with bar/food service throughout.

If staff/officer interaction, longer/overnight port visits, more inclusive offerings, smaller ship with surprise itinerary treats on occassion that bigger ships cannot accomplish, LESS PEOPLE, more relaxed dress (no formal nights), a more professional crowd, and the best service from the crew we have ever experienced, and a seemingly happier atmosphere overall...the Azamara hands down.

Our take is that if you truly want to get the most out of the places you visit without worrying about time, the one-way itineraries (giving more B2B options), and the ability to visit places most cruise lines do not, then Azamara cannot be beat.

If you enjoy all a ship has to offer with greater variety in entertainment, amenities, dining, more cruising sea days, bigger cabins, and the round trip routes...then Celebrity is the better choice.

We choose Celebrity when typically cruising with friends and looking to party more on our vacation. We choose Azamara when we are looking to see the world more and experience that upper level of service both onboard and onshore.

I pretty much said the same thing in several different ways, meet me in the bar and the descriptions get even more repetitive and colorful :)

Hello Pam,

 

Very interested in your views of Viking and glad that you enjoyed your cruise so much.

 

I should know this but how many passengers does Viking Sea carry?

Looks like 930, but ship is a bit bigger than Azamara ships. Also they do run some deals like included air and/or cruise fare discounts.

My favorite tasks the butler performs is shining my boots, and the inevitable foot massage(s) ;)

There were none on the quest last may/june...but there were free weights and a bar just outside near the pool.:cool:

On our last one there was also a vegetarian option in addition to the meat and seafood choices.

It really depends on the chef, but I have never been disappointed with this event although I will state that the one we did in June 2016 did not have a photographer present as on previous dinners.

It's the European Capitals itinerary with a few overnights, so I'm thinking the speed limit won't be warp speed. Meandering was just what I wanted.

As I stated, it was only during docking/undocking...not cruising.

In response to Pam:

We did not experience a leaking shower, but as you mentioned it does not apply to you.

There was ample lighting in the dining/living room with overhead lights as well as couchside lamps.

You will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the deck...very large and the loungers are very comfortable.

The service is also impeccable with a butler, cabin steward and an assistant.

Dining off any menu you choose for dinner under the stars enjoying the wake and scenery while your butler serves you course by course is a nice perk enjoyed with this suite.

If you suite is on deck 6, then you will experience some vibration and noise when pulling in/out of port. Deck 8 will have a bit of overhead noise from chairs at times, but not too bad. Deck 7, you are golden!

Enjoy your cruise and bully for you to treat yourself based on your past life experiences, hope things get better.

I agree with most of what was posted above and will not be redundant concerning the perks.

We have only enjoyed the Quest suites (never sailed Journey) thus far (6088 pre-refurb) and 7114 (post-refurb) and we do miss the 1/2 bathroom and double sinks, but do enjoy the shower so much more (although the door is mounted backwards, should open toward the bathroom, not the room door).

Love the sliding door between the rooms as opposed to the curtain as it affords more privacy when the butler makes his daily AM deliveries.

Would like the full length mirror mounted on outside of closet door or at least on a wall or door that would open all the way instead of the present 90 degree opening. Wish the beds allowed storage of suitcases underneath like before, new bed frames are too low. The area now for suitcases (used to be a make-up mirror area) has no lighting and is a waste of space except for suitcases (since they will not fit under the bed anymore).

Mini-fridge is too deep for the cabinet or the cabinet is too shallow for the fridge and the door will not close completely and you get this nice repetitive thump during moderate seas (like when the clothes hangers in the closets swing into the side which is easily corrected) makes counting sheep obsolete:rolleyes:

Dining room furniture is too large for the space.

Since they elminated the 1/2 bath it would have been nice if they had added a wet bar in the dining area. The plumbing was exposed during the refurb and would have been a minor addition.

Would have been nice if the new bedside lamps had usb power outlets like other new cabins do.

Nice, thank you for posting.

Can anyone tell me what the prices are for the different alcoholic drinks packages please?

 

Thank you

Lynne:)

I will email you the link, but keep in mind that the per day price (or total package price) can depend on your cruise. This will give you a ballpark though.

I love seeing the pictures of Philip and Ryszard checking out rooms. We have the BEST Hotel Directors!

We agree 100%!:D

Our deepest condolences and a first class move by azamara.

Hi Everyone,

 

I thought I'd offer a segment of "Random Thoughts" tonight. Hope you enjoy !

 

The Patio :

 

 

A final note for tonight, Mom & I were invited to the "Best of the Best" Dinner, which is being held on Thursday night. This will be the first time for us, and we're incredibly excited and sincerely appreciate the invite. Photos and insights to follow.

 

Hope you are enjoying my insights. More to come. Please stay tuned !

Thank you for the updates and you will absolutely love that dining experience...we have each time we have attended and the wine parings have always been spot on.:)

Thanks for all the photos especially the engine room and all the mechanical pics of other parts of the refurb...having been an oiler in the merchant marines in a previous life, I enjoy seeing the photos of what makes a ship tick!:cool:

Do you have any pictures of the gym facilities? I checked your blog and did not find any there either.

Thank you for the review.

That would be wonderful! On our November 18th cruise on the Quest we would have to go into the hallway to sign into the wifi. ......

I've posted this before: All you have to do is crack your cabin door open. It is a steel door and blocks the signal somewhat.

All I did was open the door, activated the deadbolt and then let the door rest on the deadbolt.

I had full wifi signal at that point and never had to leave the room.

This was my experience, yours may differ.

Very welcomed news. Staying connected is what allows me to travel.

The new Looking Glass (the "Living Room") doesn't look very comfortable at all, and the lack of carpeting will make it a louder space than it needs to be.

 

But frozen yogurt--yay! :)

There appears to be carpet everywhere except the dance floor like it has always been in that venue. It is difficult to see in that picture, but look closely as you can see the pattern change.

 

As for Luminae, the hype will wear off soon. It has too many tables cramped in (tables for 2 are less than a foot apart), very limited choice (just 3 to 5 items) and the food doesn't come close to the standards in the speciality restaurants they're now closing.

 

Our experience in Luminae was just the opposite on our South American Equinox cruise and since we also ate in the specialty restaurant during that cruise (Murano?) I can attest that the Luminae food was superior at that time. The service was equal. We never felt cramped and actually felt there was more space between tables than there is in select dining...now that area is cramped, but RCI really has no choice IMO. Matter of fact we have been disappointed in our last 3 celebrity cruises specialty dining experiences, food quality-wise.

The food quality has seemed to have decreased in the Murano style restaurants (regardless the name) in the last 2 years IMO. Although we have always been pleased with the service to say the least.

We have only been on 2 Azamara cruises (B2B) and we loved everything about the food quality and are booked on another B2B next year, BUT we just met with some friends overseas last week and they expressed that the Azamara food was disappointing on their most recent azamara cruise and has given them pause to book another and they are big cheerleaders for the line. I was very surprised they had experienced this and have found that they are very objective concerning matters of the palate:D.

No, Azamara has bow thrusters, but no stern thrusters. Control here is done by the rudders and propellers.

 

I've been in 6088 and 6091. Whilst it's true that temporarily you will feel it when you are docking or tendering I found vibration most noticeable when going at or near full speed. The cabin shook. At slower speed you don't feel anything. Move up a deck and it's less. Having said that, personally the vibration doesn't really bother me.

 

Phil

Agree.

neither...traditional shaft/prop and you will definitely realize that if you stay in 6088 (or any deck 6 aft rooms), but it was only noticeable when arriving/leaving dock.

Thank you both so much for your input... Just would like to know what different people may use their butler for;specifics.... Never having had that luxury, I might feel a bit lost :). How do you guys tip your butler? I wouldn't want to do to cheap. When you have an in room cocktail party is there an extra charge for appetizers or drinks, if there is alcohol as well is ther an extra charge?

 

Thanks, stacey

Only thing I have ever had to pay for concerning a party was the drinks...if they were not included in the ship amenities.

Again, tipping is subjective and we have learned it is best to tip at the completion of the cruise. We NEVER take into consideration the tips that are pre-paid when we tip extra, but that is us. The best butler we ever encountered received an extra nice sum at cruise completion, the worst received an extra $0 as I mentioned in my earlier post.

Based on what is done for us by the butler we tip an extra 3-4 digits if that helps...although some will argue that is too much, again it is subjective and we are not the norm from what I have read. We also tip the stewards extra.

ANYTHING extra is appreciated by the butler and stewards from our experience.

We have been fortunate enough to enjoy the services of a butler on all of our cruises on Celebrity and Azamara.

We have enjoyed the butler services for many things including hosting cocktail parties where we have had appetizer platters to accompany the drinks, having clothes laundered/pressed, shoes shined/repaired, breakfast each morning we choose set up in the suite dining room waiting for us when we awoke, dinner reservations at specialty restaurants (or main select dining on Celebrity), and other things that I just cannot recall at the moment.

Of the many cruises we have enjoyed we have only encountered one butler (not Azamara) that was absolutely not suited for the job and we did not ask him for anything once we encountered his lack of service...and we conveyed our experience to his superiors and the line. We also were not the only guests that felt this way during that particular cruise. I believe he just was not trained properly nor did he enjoy his position as the first thing he said to me was how he hated the uniform he was forced to wear as he was wiping the sweat from his brow, I felt bad for him at that moment, little did I know that he also hated his job it seemed.

You will enjoy the butlers on Azamara no doubt as they do an outstanding job and will do just about anything you ask of them. We do not ask them to pack/unpack for us as it is listed in the services or any other housekeeping tasks and everything I listed above are things that have typically been offered before we even thought about asking.

That all being said, we do show our "gratitude" at the end of our cruise as we also do the stewards, but the tipping discussion has been discussed at nauseum on this site so to each his own.

Enjoy your cruise and your butler!:)