Georgeven

Thanks @cavaaller for your live reports from this sailing... it just make us even more excited for our upcoming sailing in some days time...  enjoy the rest of the cruise 🙂 

Thanks guys, I think we'll be bringing our cable to connect to the TV in case we need it... will update the status of the TV thing once we're on-board

Hi there,

We´ll be on-board next week and we're booked om a Royal suite. Was thinking about the TV and movies system in Infinity, there is always a day or two, we just want to be a little lazy and just chill and watch a movie. Have read that the TV offerings are not that good in the Infinity, is it the same for the upper suites? Or does anyone know if it's possible to stream from your apple devices?

Jorge.-

Thanks for posting, looking forward to your comments before we go onboard next week... 🙂 

Just off from Quest last week, this is the included selection of wines...

Post 8 - Hasta la vista Barcelona and Onward

So We went out for a walk to la Boqueria market, the barrio Gótico and the shopping center for some hours, Barcelona is always crazy crowded but it’s always fun….  We just wanted to get some air and that’s what we did. Back to the ship for a lazy movie afternoon in the cabin (it was cold to be sunbathing) and packing.

We had dinner again in Prime C, kudos to Gustavo the manager for sorting problems out. It was a perfect dinner in every sense. 

Easy-breeze out of the ship to the airport. 

Now we are flying back home and will impatiently wait four long weeks before we go on board again in Choggia (Venice) for an intensive Greece sailing in the onward again. For that one we have the same cabin, so far… and we decided we will not upgrade the drinking package neither do specialty dining. 

Thanks for following up… sea you around… 

J&S

4 hours ago, cruisinclined said:

 

Sorry to return to boarding with a question. What time were you given to board. We hear that 2 pm or later is typical at the moment and wonder how late the buffet stays open for these later boardings? What happens if you knock half an hour of and arrive earlier we wonder?

 

Boarding starts at 14:00. It was very very very effective in Lisboa. buffet was open until 15:30 if my memory doesn’t fail. If you arrive earlier guess you’ll have to wait. 

Post 7 - Palma de Mallorca

Almost last port… as we planned we woke up, small breakfast at the buffet and then out. There were shuttle busses from the ship to the very close area to the cathedral. 

We didn’t have the tickets in advance but we bought these on our phones just five minutes before entering, easy-breezy… 

We are not religious but with hat said (Ellet written), we have a thing for Churches, Cathedrals and in general places of religious worship. They show architecture, history, art and all these is an expression of cultural identity that we found fascinating. 

La Seu in Palma, just took my breath away. It has to be one of the most beautiful expressions of gothic architecture in a church. The lights through the stained glasses, the chapels, everything. It felt divine,  as a really special place.

I recommend taking a walk in the old city, is always beautiful (and crowded). We really didn’t do much this time because we have been here so many times so decided just to go back to the ship for a lazy afternoon.

Taste of Indian dinner in the buffet, DO NOT MISS IT. Just that. 

Then it was show time with Erick, very nice and funny. 

Now we are in Barcelona, docked in the World Trade Center, getting ready to go out to do something. We have also been head so manny times, but it’s always a good time and good shopping.  

Post 6 - Prime C (again) and Valencia.

Sea day was relaxing for us, but there was a lot to do for everybody all around. I has an appointment to get a haircut and it was great. Then in the evening we went for our final dinner of the dining package to Prime C, and the food was great but this time the service was totally different that some nights ago. It felt rushed, we got something we didn’t ordered, there was chaos with the wines (until Aldrain took over), then when the orders came it was confusion with who order what (we are just two person). It was chaotic. We decided to send feedback on this and all the other positive things and we got contacted the restaurant manager Gustavo who apologized for this and assure us they will work on improving. We got invited for a new dinner at Prime C for the last dinner of the cruise. 

Then Valencia, we didn’t go out at night but there was a shuttle bus from

The ship to the entrance of the port running every thirty minutes until 23:00

In the morning there were two shuttles one running every hour from ship to the Puerta de Serrano in the old city; and one from the ship to the port entrance every 30 min.

Valencia is a modern and vibrant city with a beautiful old city with incredible history and a beautiful architecture. We decided to walk all we could all around the old city and then walk down to the city of arts and sciences. It was hot hot hot day with temps up to 33 Celsius. We stopped by the central marked… it has to be one of the most beautiful (the building) markets we have ever been… and so much flavors, tastes, smells and colors inside.

The city of arts and sciences, no words to describe it….

Then we decided to walk back to the historical center to get some local bocadillos before taking the shuttle back to the ship for some lazy time by the pool. 

Greek dinner in the buffet…. Delicious…… 

Today we are going out to Palma, we’ve been here a lot but never inside the cathedral, we’ll try that today…

Post 5 - White night, a little bit of Malaga and sea day on our way to Valencia

So We are back… enjoying a lazy sea day full of activities in our way to Valencia, ETA kl. 18.00

The day in Gibraltar we didn’t go out and I had to work some hours from the ship…. Boring… Stian used the time to sit around the Living room that also houses the library and found some nice books to read. 

By the end of the day we had the White night party, Azamara signature event in every sailing… it’s still a blast of good food, dining al fresco in the pool deck and good party music after dinner. There was so much good food that it was difficult to choose. We just noticed that in this sailing (or maybe in all sailings) there was no grilled lobsters tails but instead chicken and lamb chops ( OMG level both), I didn’t miss it though but you could find some lobster in the grilled seafood skewers. I give 10 out of 10 to the food quality and selection. No one but Azamara knows best when arranging outdoor dining for all guests.

The party was going on until late before it moved to the living room around 23:00. We are not party people so we finished the night as usual at the Atlas bar…. 

So next day was Malaga, we have been there so many times so we decided for a lazy morning, couple of more hours of remote work for me and two hours of alone time for the husband. We went out for a leisurely walk around the city center, and the beach for some hours… Malaga is always beautiful, nice and lively full of tapas bars in the center and shops if you want ti do some shopping around.

Back to the ship there was a flamenco local show brought on board at the end of the afternoon, heard it was very nice…

We had dinner at the windows cafe, taste of Mexico night… and it was out of this world good… the Fajitas from the live cooking station were priceless, actually everything was very very good. 

Then it was show time in the Cabaret Lounge, Club Crooner with the singers and dancers… very very very nice show, recommended. 

Today we have sea day until 18:00 when we are expected to arrive for an overnight in Valencia. Lazy day  again, isn’t it lovely? Sleep until late, go for a coffee, then go to late Brunch at Discoveries… then more coffee… 

We tried the new internet and is very fast. No problem at all. I have a reservation for a haircut at the Spa later today and then we will relax, maybe Bingo, maybe the special event for Azamara Circle members, and the dinner at Prime C and maybe go out to the city in the night. We’ll sea…  

Post 4 - Cadiz 

This morning we arrive in Cadiz, and again the only plan was to find the Cathedral cause we got tickets in advance. Early breakfast at Discoveries and we started the day with the best Omelette ever, the special recommendation of the day: Thai Omelette with fried rice on top…. I eat almost everything without problems but if there is anything I am picky is eggs… this is the most delicious piece of omelette I have ever tasted followed very close by some huevos rancheros I had in playa del Carmen some years ago…

Done with breakfast and out in the city… again very empty so early morning but watching the city wake up was really  something from

Empty streets to the crowded

Parks, Saturday market in the Mercado Publico with the locals grabbing up some fresh fish, flowers and vegetables, loved it. 

First was the Catedral and no lines, beautiful building, you can even go down in the cript and see the sacristy. We walked up to the clock tower to get an aerial overview, just stunning

Then back to the Mercado Público, markets are a very good way to experience local life, smells and tastes.  I couldn’t  resist the temptation of tasting some “chicharrones” (deep fried and crunchy pieces of pork meat) - Delicious and then sitting in a tabenco next to the market with a couple of very very cold beers and jamón ibérico with queso de ovejo and just people watch. 

The city got crowded by 13:00, more preparations for Semana Santa and then we decided to walk back home for a lazy afternoon by the pool and a light lunch (after chicharrón and jamón and cheese) in the Patio. 

Want to give kudos to Azamara for the way the follow up everything. This morning while having coffee we filled the midt-cruise survey (or something like that) we pointed all the amazing good things and a couple of things that could be better (not that something went wrong) and while having our afternoon tea right now one of the officers stopped by to thank for the feedback and ensure that the things to be better will get better.. 

Also after reading some of your comments guys, I would like to comment on couple

Of things: 

1.- the cost cutting in some areas, for sure we have noticed it but we have not felt it has been a negative thing or that in any matter it has impacted the service level or our cruise experience in a negative way. For example: a) the wine selection that is included in the cruise price: Azamara has now its own wines and looks like they have an agreement with a winery to produce these. The wine still rotates during the days, and it makes sense from a business perspective and the quality is OK. We will make the effort and sacrifice to try some to give feedback on that. b) Portions in the main dining room and specialty are a little bit smaller but it’s OK to reduce waste and make cruising more sustainable in the long run. I am a big guy and I Love to eat good food and I felt it is OK and have not gone hungry. 

Tomorrow we’ll be in Gibraltar and we are not going out since we have been there several times so I do not think I will be posting updates… plan is to relax and I may try the new internet since I need to get some work done (this hobby called cruise travel needs funding). White night will be tomorrow and we are looking forward to it

Questions: just ask 🙂

21 hours ago, jegoodman said:

Could you please post photos of the room service menu?  I'll be sailing Onward in a few months.

 

Thank you

Here you go 😀

Post 3 - Azamazing evening and Sevilla part 2

The Azamazing evening was exactly that Azamazing…. The logistics of this operation and how smoothly they run it is always incredible. We were drove to the modern side of the city and to a complex where there is a theater. We were by Captain G and Erick and there were traditional drinks to taste, very nice and very strong. 

The show was incredible, a flamenco interpretation of the Opera Carmen. Beautiful dance and choreography and the live singers voices out of this world. 

Then back to the ship for a late snack and a drink before heading to bed. 

Then day two in Sevilla, we woke early again to make the most of the early morning  and believe it was a good  decision cause the city is crazy crowded because of the festivities of Semana Santa. Today we walked off from the ship with a clear plan in mind: Bullring museum / visit and the Seta de Sevilla. We made it to the Maestranza, no people in line so it took two minutes to get the ticket and enter the Plaza de Toros, they have a very interesting exhibition that shows the history and art of this long Andalusian cultural expression. We understand that this is a very polemic cultural expression but independently of what we think it’s important to try to understand cultures from an objective point of view without judgement and learn from it. That is what traveling is about, isn’t it?. The building of la maestranza is a beautiful expression of the Baroque style arquitechture. 

When we got out the line was starting to get longer and some hours latera, the line was looooong.

Then we walked to la Seta de Sevilla and got lost in the old part of the city but it was fascinating to see the locals and tourist (a lot of Spanish tourists) walking around in their best clothes to make it to the churches and processions of the day. Interesting note was the logistics of cleaning the city after a long night of processions in the center to get ready for more processions later in the day. We did some little shopping while lost in the small streets before we got to the Seta. A very peculiar modern intervention in the plaza mayor but beautiful in its own way.

Then walked back to the ship, lost again in the small streets of the city trying to absorb the particular atmosphere of this place. Loved Sevilla, definitely in our list of places to come back for a land based holiday. 

Then back to the ship for lunch, we wanted to eat in the city but the places that were open were already very full and we found no place around. 

Dinner was in Aqualina , and again food was great and service on point.  We saw the show with Roy, the assistant cruise director and what a voice, don’t miss it. 

Sea you… 🙂

Prime C and Sevilla day one

After a deserved Power Nap, we were so ready for our first dinner at Prime C during this cruise. We noticed what looked like some new items in the menu, at least since our last Azamara cruise back in 2021. 

But first a short stop, pre-dinner cocktail at the Atlas Bar, again a delicious cocktail. 

We went for a conservative steak house menu. All the food was delicious and great, service was on point as the recommendations of wines from

the sommelier to pair with our courses. We’ll be back in some days :-). After dinner we just went down to relax and night night… go early to bed before a planned early morning to see the ship sail through the lock and arrive in Sevilla…

So we woke up at 06:00 and went directly out and then to the front of the living room… so nice to see the crossing of the lock and the sunrise.

So excited for our first day in Sevilla, we planned a guided visit to the cathedral, tickets to the alcazar and the park and plaza España, all independent arrangements. Craaaaaaaazy amounts of people everywhere because la Semana Santa, but what a beautiful sights and city so far…. 

Back in the ship after all this to

Have a small lunch so a Power Nap before dinner: Azamazing buffet in Discoveries and Azamazing evening in Sevilla: Carmen a flamenco show… more about that in our next post…. 

Hi there everybody… Jorge and Stian from Norway and we are back in Azamara and this time for a Spain intensive cruise. 

Technically this is our sixth cruise (from 30 cruises) with Azamara, first time on Onward. Booked an inside cabin, happy with it. We decided more cruises less balconies for this year.

Flying from Oslo with Tap and spent a night and a morning in Lisboa before boarding. Staying at the Ibis Style Lisboa Centro Liberdade, good location, attentive service, nice restaurant for tapas and wine in the afternoon/evening and a super breakfast. 

We had been in Lisboa a couple of times before so this time we just relaxed and went for some shopping in the morning before heading to the port

We used welcome pickups for transportation from the airport and to the port, worked perfectly. 

Checking inn for the cruise was easy breeze. It took no time and we were already on board, security briefing, staterooms ready, upgraded drinks to ultimate package and three specialty dinners reservations made… then we were ready to go/cruise.

Stateroom was as expected, everything in order. We met our room attendant, very nice guy. We just though about the position of the TV on the side of the bed and it cannot be moved… very weird but it’s not like we will watch a lot of TV while in a port intensive cruise. 

We had a small lunch at the buffet, everything was delicious. Dinner at Discoveries was marvelous, service on point and a delicious meal all the way. 

Went to the Atlas bar, tasted a couple of drinks. Very nice place with an interesting and good “live” entertainment and nice bartenders. think this will be our favorite place for the nights.

Day 2 in Portimao, 

Breakfast at Discoveries, perfect… then out. There was a complimentary shuttle bus, but we decided to walk walk and walk our way into the old town and then to the beach (Praia de Rocha), very nice little city with a very local feeling in the center. The beach area is more “touristy” developed with tons of restaurants, hotels, clubs, etc. and Praia de Rocha is the mother of all beaches… beautiful and organized. Back to the ship after some hours for late lunch in the Buffett with some wine. Again delicious food… then it was time for a Power Nap…

Later tonight we’ll have dinner at Prime C… looking forward to it

Thanks for these updates... we are sailing on Onward next month and I was wondering about this, basically because will have to work a little and attend a Zoom meeting... 

Day in Livorno and sea day… and disembarkation 

As said we were not planning to go out in Italy so we have enjoyed the posh, the courtyard and the cabin with the movies menu… and we can say we have enjoyed several of them

Testing before debarcation went easy breezy in the haven and you get the results in your app and a letter in your cabin

We tried the room service menu: the pasta bolognes,  the skirt steak and the chicken soup were very nice but you can skip the pizzas 🍕 

now it’s time to disembark… it has been an amazing vacation on board the epic and the haven. Will we do it again YES if we find the right price and itinerary… can we do it out of the haven… do not think so… 

conclusion the haven in the epic has been the best of our three experiences in the haven and thanks to all the staff in here… 

now let’s get out of the ship… cross the terminal and get on board the Harmony of the Seas for one week… you can follow the semi live blogging there if you want to compare haven Norwegian in epic vs. balcony cabin in Harmony 

thanks for following…

Good morning from some place in the ocean close in our way to Livorno… 

The last two days have been quiet… the day in Rome we spent it taking sun in Posh and then the courtyard… beautiful sunny day with some wind to cool down 😎. Small lunch in the Buffett where we loved the Asian food station and dinner in the Haven… 

Day in Naples we also stayed on board and the weather was cloudy with some little rain here and there and a little cold so the executive decision was to go to H20 and download some of our favorite TV shows in the iPad to spend a lazy day in the cabin watching TV and movies… there is a good selection of movies on demand  and in the haven you have them included. 

Just some pointers here: while we were in the H20 we could see that the area there is I need of a refurbishment and that the ship is starting to show its age… 

Lunch in the Haven again and this time the pasta with shrimps just blew our tasting buds… it was an OMG experience… 

Dinner in Cagneys was a miss this time… when your beef is not to your expectation because OK is cooked on point but dry and chewy… is definitely not good… but the ChimiChurri sauce was greatilicious.. the crème brûlée not good and the onion soup extremely salty… a disappointment of a dinner… 

A black and white picture appreciation for the Norwegian epic 

20 minutes ago, erikb923 said:

Nice, thanks, do they have the little bottles you can take home for future travels or only the bigger hand pump type? 

 
only big hand pump type… and they sell loccitane in the “duty-free” stores in the ship 

Bon giorno Cagliari…

Morning there… sunny and no clouds… perfect weather for getting out in the sun. We decided not to go out with excursions in Italy… so sleep until late, late breakfast at the Haven restaurant and some more relax before spending some out in the sun in the Posh with of course some frozen daiquiris and piñas coladas… 

View from Posh

Then lunch in the haven restaurant and have to say we didn’t like the salmon… it was kind of overcooked and taste very fishy… but we ate and with the wine was OK… service was perfect… then let’s relax in the courtyard so we could use the jacuzzi and refresh by the pool…  with some more wine 🍷… 

We just grabbed two more glasses of Champaign and some mineral water to go to our cabin before taking a nap 💤 

Wake up, shower, sunset from balcony… 

dinner at the Haven that by the way was out of this world, the Delmonico steak and the Tomahawk pork are huge and have to be the best pieces of meat in this ship with perfect wine pairings.

Then cocktails in the lounge and go to the show Priscilla Queen of the desert… AMAZING… 

On 10/18/2021 at 6:24 PM, Carnac767 said:

Thanks for the report and looking forward to more.  We've cruised twice on Epic in the 2-br Haven suite on deck 16 and loved it both times.  Epic's Haven is pretty damn epic.  It's our favorite.  The rest of the ship, well, it's an acquired taste, I suppose.  Do you get any noise from the sundeck above your cabin?  We're doing another 2-br on our next Epic crossing and have a fwd-facing cabin on deck 17 this time.  Have a great cruise.

No noise from the sundeck over the cabin maybe because it looked very close today (and loos like it has been close the last days )when we went there to check it…  and yes the Epic layout is an acquire taste 🤫

19 hours ago, WarfRatWA said:

Hey J&S...thank you for doing this.  The reporting and pictures are fantastic. I appreciate your narrative.  We are scheduled on the Epic next summer and I have been waiting to see the rooms in the Haven after the refurbishment.  The rooms turned out exactly like the rendering (which are remarkably similar to the renderings in the PRIMA).  Thank you for posting.  Sounds like you guys are having a grand time.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise.  If per chance you have a moment, could you snap a picture of the 2nd bedroom?  Thanks!

here it goes 

16 hours ago, Carnac767 said:

One of the changes I've noticed in the 2-BR after the reno is they turned the bed in the MBR 90 degrees and stole some room from the master bath to make the bedroom bigger.  It also looks as if they took away the 2nd closet in the MBR that was to the left of the door into the bathroom.   How was the crowd for Beatlemania in the Cavern Club?  On both of our TAs people were lining up fours ahead of time for that show.  On the 2019 TA they finally moved the show to the main theatre, so people were only waiting two hours to get in.

 It has been crowded but controlled given that that cannot be at 100% full capacity in the cavern and there have been some Beatles shows in the theatre 

19 hours ago, erikb923 said:

Another quick question, what toiletries are offered in the Haven (last time I was on was Bvlgari)? 

Loccitanne now 🙂