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Oh no! Maybe they’re finding the price is higher for them too. I know I can’t get it for less than £20/bottle at home. Only for special occasions, since I’m a tightwad. I do make it a mission to have a glass every day on the ship.

Ye, we found that the bartenders were very careful about measuring and some of the drinks were very light tasting. I did find that they were happy to make me a double if I asked, though. We also had the Ultimate package, and maybe that makes a difference?

The shuttle to Ravenna was running on the Onward Maiden Voyage. I think they have some problems getting their documentation updated.

We have been unlucky on recent cruises, first the uncertainly of Covid on Pursuit March 2020, then the lack of sea days on the Onward Maiden Voyage, so I’m hoping for at least one brunch on our upcoming Pursuit Iceland cruise. Brunch is my favourite shipboard meal. With or without jazz, although preferably with!

Looking at the marketing materials, I’d say Branson’s target market was Club 18-35. Looking at the videos I’ve seen from actual passengers - excuse me - “sailors”, what they are getting seems to be 45+. Not a cruise I would enjoy, but each to his own!

On Onward’s Inaugural, there was a late lunch in the buffet. I’ve also heard that snack items like sandwiches, cookies, and cakes are available most of the afternoon on the first day. I think Azamara recognise that cruise passengers need feeding at least every couple of hours! I’d agree with uktog, though, if you get breakfast included from your pre-cruise hotel, eat hearty.

I know that I have some confirmation bias because I’ve loved Azamara from the very beginning, warts and all. And although I am a fan, I freely acknowledge that they’ve had, and still have, plenty of warts. Some new ones now, to go with the new owners, as I would expect. Gary Bembridge has my interest because I feel that he speaks as he finds, and he entertains me. He will speak freely about the things he doesn’t like, and find good points in places I wouldn’t think to look.

If you’re new to Azamara, then Onward, with her still-incomplete refurbishment and supply chain issues, might not have been the perfect introduction. I have heard from several sources that the scale of repairs and refurbishments needed caught the workforce by surprise, and various problems with contractors and supplies kept the ship from being as completely ready for service as everyone had hoped. The other ships have been through various refurbishments over the years, and things like chipped sinks and improperly fitting doors and drawers do get taken care of. We were on one of the other ships once when workmen came and touched up the sink. If you cruise with Onward in the same cabin at some time in the future, I hope you would be happily surprised at the changes. We were lucky as our cabin on the Maiden Voyage was in nearly perfect shape, with no broken doors, and only a small scratch in the sink. From the day the new balcony chairs arrived, I have wondered if they were the permanent ones, or if they were a stop-gap. They are not outstanding, but they are a lot better than no chairs at all, which is what we had for a few days. I would like to think that permanent chairs, similar to the balcony chairs on the sister ships, will arrive at some point. I look forward to hearing the rest of your thoughts, and hope you found plenty of things to enjoy.

I’ve only seen a video. I don’t think there’s a print version.

Thank you Jazzbeau, I couldn’t figure out how to insert the video! 😁

I just saw this interesting video tonight. I like Gary Bembridge, and generally find his reviews to be very fair. I Try a Cruise Line People Say is Going DOWNHILL Fast

I’m not sure that’s exclusive to Azamara either. Are there any lines that are still requiring masks for passengers?

I second the idea of booking through the hotel. They do this all the time, and will organise a reliable transfer for you.

Every shop I go to is looking for staff, here in Italy and in the UK. The huge mess at many airports is caused by a shortage of staff. It’s hard to get some products at the supermarket because of… a shortage of staff, to process dairy products, to drive lorries, to make all things logistical run smoothly. I’m not too surprised to learn that Azamara’s ships are a bit short of staff too! I have read reviews of many other cruise lines with shortages of staff. This seems more like the general world situation right now, rather than something specific to Azamara, but time will tell.

I read your comment and thought “I could fit about 30 pairs of pants in an Azamara laundry bag if I tried”, then realised you are American and by pants you mean trousers. I was thinking of pants as meaning panties/knickers. One of those pondian things!😄

I could see merit in calling at both Ravenna and Trieste in the same cruise. Passengers would have access to Bologna, Modena, Trieste and other less-visited areas, and some access to Venice as well.

There are pros and cons to the alternative docking places now that Venice has refused ships above a certain gross tonnage. You may have noticed that Oceania is using Ravenna also. I think there is a lot to be said for docking in Ravenna. Marghera and Fusina may be closer to Venice in distance, but because those ports are part of the huge Marghera industrial complex, there is no walking, no taxis and no shuttles allowed inside of the port. From what I’ve read so far, your only choice would be to take a ship’s excursion, and it takes about 50 minutes each way to get out of and back into the port. I also saw this set of instructions on what to do in case of “an incident” in the Marghera port area.

On other b2b cruises, we have been offered a couple of excursions exclusive to continuing passengers, usually publicised a few days before the end of the first cruise. When you are on the first leg, you could ask the shore excursion team, and they will probably know what is likely to be offered. Bear in mind that about six hours of your day will be travel between Ravenna and Venice. That isn’t ideal for leaving enough time to see very much of Venice. Venice is best seen on a land stay if you can, maybe getting there a couple of days before the cruise. I agree with those who say this is a great time to see Ravenna. Seeing Bologna would be another, closer option.

I have also noticed that staff in shops have stopped wearing masks from 1 June as well. I know that’s not the question here, but mask requirements have definitely relaxed in most places.

We eat low carb, so I asked for a slightly customised dinner order in Windows on British night: “Oh, could I have a couple of slices of the roast beef, some pheasant, and some green vegetables, but no potatoes, please?” It was just what I asked for, and very nice.

I second the suggestion to read Noggins posts about his Onward experience. It’s a very down to earth, realistic analysis of his cruise. Then you can be calm and confident rather than concerned! 😁

This is an excellent suggestion, and I’m sure the driver would be very happy to stop for you to pick up a few bottles of wine.

The one time I’ve been there, in 2013, it was in a smaller ship than the Azamara ships, and it was by tender. It would be great if there was a suitable dock these days!

Adrian, I am a faithful Azamara cruiser and poster, and I have been following your posts with great enjoyment. I think your commentary has been very balanced, and it is interesting hearing your views as a previous Crystal passenger, as well as the information from Capt Carl. I’m glad you had a good time!

I think that would be a great challenge to win. Veuve Clicquot is lovely. I don’t care much for the Nicholas Feuillate.