gsutiger2

17 hours ago, Swells1 said:

Okay. Explain this to me like I'm a three-year-old. I have taken ONE cruise with Virgin Voyages. On that cruise, I had DBE from status match. When I take my second cruise, will I be in Tier One- Sailing Club- because this is my second cruise?

Or...

Will I be in Tier Two- Blue Extras- because I have status match?

I'm curious about this as well.

Azamara for vegans is absolutely wonderful and highly recommended.  Generally the same offerings as the meat eaters, with a slight modification. 

I was on the 9 day Brazil cruise too and was surprised that there were zero lectures or port talks. This was very much needed. When disembarking at ports, I could hear passengers asking lots of questions at Concierge concerning the ports and they had no answers, other than handing them a generic info sheet.

This is one area I expected Azamara to provide and excel in.

21 hours ago, uktog said:

The basic package is so slow it should be included at no charge as lines like Viking and Explora do. That would probably be fast enough for many guests leaving the faster speed for those who want to stream or access work systems and will be happy to pay.

I totally agree with this. Speed is abysmal. 

Was recently onboard and asked Future Cruises representative this very question. She said late March/April.

None of the itineraries out now work for us (too long).

Was recently on Quest - internet was horrible and frustrating 😤.  I heard complaints all around. We did not appreciate paying for sub par/non existent service and then offered to pay more for the service/speed we should of had at the standard rate. 

Food is definitely subjective.

With that said, we are vegans. The food was a negative experience for us. It was so bad that I had to contact corporate to describe what we were served and lack of protein. We never expect to have the same options as meat eaters. However,  you could tell the vegan/plant based options were a last minute after thought and probably push back from the kitchen to corporate regarding the new plant based offerings. 

What Windstar advertised for plant based /vegans options was never offered. They claim they have rolled out a full menu and asked for us to give them another try.

We took this cruise in 2023. We had mixed feelings. Windstar was fabulous (with the exception of poor vegan options). However, like your review mentions, the ports (except Cartagena) and tours offered are not interesting at all.  We were pretty disappointed.

Ironically,  we will be back on this same itinerary in 2024 as we could not find a 7-day Christmas cruise on a boutique premium line other than Windstar for our family. So we must endure these sad ports again. At least they have fantastic cabins.

Btw- I found plenty of Windstar Panama Canal reviews in the review section. 

I definitely think there will be lots to discuss.  Especially the guessing of ports and any leaked information. 

Does it generally take quite awhile to get an Uber if needed within city center areas?

Yes, they are considered luxury. 

Uggh concerning the TVs. I have a samsung tablet, perhaps I can try with that. We we're hoping to watch the shows we downloaded. 

18 hours ago, mnocket said:

This is one of the things that turns me off about VV.  Having great restaurants is meaningless if you can't get reservations.  Same goes for shows, etc.  I don't go on vacation to compete with my fellow travelers to get into venues. 

 I totally agree with this. I will be on VV during a holiday sailing, and I don't want the headache of being tied to my phone to TRY to enjoy my cruise experience. They need to figure out a system where everyone has an opportunity to eat at all or most of the main restaurants and enjoy all main shows.

Windstar finally published the cruise information. 

2025 Presidents Mystery Cruise

https://www.windstarcruises.com/cruise/overview/greece/athens-greece-to-athens-greece/mystery-cruise/?pkgid=388270

I agree @stcruise. April is a great time of year to travel to this region. I sure hope they can keep the ports a secret as planned. 

Can we cast from our tablet/laptop to the cabin TV on Azamara? What about using Roku or Fire TV Stick? 

Thank you 

I think you will find adventurous and well traveled people drawn to this cruise.  The fact the ports will be new to Windstar is intriguing.  If this was a large cruise line, I would have no interest as the ships are limited to certain ports due to size restrictions. 

On 2/22/2024 at 11:23 AM, Roz said:

Blown away in a good or bad way?

Bad

With American Queen going out of business, I expect Viking bookings to increase. Does it appear Viking is working out the Mississippi River kinks?

I'm blown away by the prices and what is offered in return (booking for family members).

On 2/5/2024 at 6:12 PM, cccole said:

when you are ready it is a moto. 

What does this mean?

Yes, plenty of pics online. For those who have actually stayed in them as there are so few, how was the proximity to elevators, any deck 5 noise due to sailor services & restaurants, any cabin quirks with 4 bunk beds? 

I don't see the cruise advertised. 

We are curious as well. Totally able to find true reviews in all other categories except this one. 

Hello - does Azamara hold luggage until check-in time on embarkation day? If there are hours between flight landing and check-in, is this possible? Thank you

What is considered early?