Doh15

8 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

As Uktog has already said Azamara probably won’t be allowed by RCCL to have its own policy, they will have to go along with the group policy.

Silversea is owned by RCCL and they have gone to a 30 day cancellation for cruises June 1 to Dec 31. Why would they be “allowed” to do it but not Azamara?
 

Seabourn is owned by Carnival and also is going to a 30 day cancellation policy with FCC. 
 

It seems to me what matters is what the comparable cruise lines are doing, not what every other corporate affiliate is doing (and by my count most but not all of what I would consider Azamara’s direct competitors have gone to 30 day or less cancellation policies for the summer). 

7 hours ago, pghflyer said:

Hmm....looks to me like we spent about 2.5 hours over there (by looking at my picture timestamps), excluding the 10-minute ferry rides.  I just researched this forum and other sites for hikes.   Definitely always take your rain jacket and we appreciated having our hiking boots, as we probably hiked on half our ports.  

 

Here are my notes (definitely cribbed from other people giving advice) for Alesund:

 

In Ålesund, make sure you go to the Byparken (The Town Park) and walk the 418 steps up to Fjellstua / Kniven viewpoint (or Mt. Aksla viewpoint). The park is just behind Kulturhuset (concert hall) and Parken Hotel (15 minute walk). The only really convenient hike is Sukkertoppen (bus 618), 330 meters, and involves a bit more walking on rocks.

 

My favorite here is to cross the fjord by express boat (2061, 10 minute ride, every hour) to Langevag and go up Blafjellet (350 meters) or on to Vardane (750 meters). Both smooth walking on tractor paths. Excellent views from both destinations. (Roundtrip fare is available for 78 Krone.) I am mostly writing to recommend the area above Langevag for exercise and hiking, in my opinion one of the best hiking areas from any cruise port in Norway for the tourist/walker/hiker. The scenery is consistently more rewarding than the Floyen area above Bergen or the Bymarka of Trondheim. The main trails are less demanding than most of the Geiranger trails. Although not as dramatic in the final views, it is far less crowded than the trail to Pulpit Rock. In particular, the trail up to Blafjellet (which I had been looking at and for which you linked a website) is a perfect introductory tourist hike. Yes, uphill demanding, of course; it’s impossible to reach 344 meters without some exertion. But, once the trailhead is located, it is clearly marked, a smooth, wide gravel/dirt ATV or tractor trail, which could be walked with good athletic shoes. The views are consistently spectacular. There are even picnic tables in attractive spots along the way. For a tourist, I would have said Sukkertoppen was the best accessible little hike out of Alesund. But, Blafjellet is easier access (thanks to the convenience of the boat), less demanding underfoot, and rewards with equal or better distant vistas. 

 

A nice walk would be to cross Brosundet over to Apotekergaten and onto Moloveien with its tiny wooden houses. The must see site is the lighthouse. 

Thanks very much for all this info! 

I also feel like just being on the ship would make me happy

At some point Azamara may realize that a more generous cancellation policy actually works in their favor economically, not just in terms of goodwill. 

 I would think a lot of people are coming up on decisions whether to cancel their cruises for the summer and if Azamara doesn’t relax the rules those people may well decide they can’t afford the uncertainty and risk and cancel now, and I imagine it won’t be that easy for Azamara to replace those people (at least at the fares they paid). 
 

Moreover the industry in general seems headed for a rough patch and giving people positive treatment and FCCs (which I expect still generate incidental revenue) doesn’t seem like a bad idea vs a cycle of turning off long term customers and encouraging people to book last minute discounts.  
 

That said, they may be waiting to see if people really do cancel (or they may not be seeing cancellations), and it may be harder for them to adopt these policies given the large sister ships. 

21 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

We do the same. After all we are on holiday and don't need to be glued to a device 24 hours a day!

 

I do realise that a number of people still have to work while cruising, so those couples probably need two devices.

For us I think it’s more that if we’re going to be online it works better if we do it simultaneously. For example family would probably prefer to text with us at the same time than sequentially.
 

Of course we could work around it— it’s not the only reason we would get the indulgence package but it’s a reason. 

Honestly I think the loyalty programs are more trouble than they are worth so the less emphasis the better. Maybe a welcome aboard cocktail party and keep the 5% discount?  
 

Interestingly, WS is small enough that frequent cruisers seem to get literal recognition (as in warm welcomes from crew who remember them) which also argues against needing figurative recognition in the form of “milestones”. 

10 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Or you could go for the essentials package ($600) which gives you the premium drinks package, as well as a full cruise WiFi package and $300 OBC for excursions, and then pay the difference between the premium and ultimate drinks package, which works out at $6pp per day.

Good point! I think I didn’t mention that because when traveling with my spouse we either need two device wifi or none. Plus multiple sea days -> some sort of spa spending. 😉 🤷🏻‍♂️

On 8/26/2018 at 2:27 PM, pghflyer said:

For future reference, we took the public express boat (leaves mere feet from where NCL Jade docked) to Langevag and hiked up to Blafjellet. The roundtrip ticket was 105KR each and ride was 10 minutes. Ferry runs about every 30 minutes, but ever hour from about 11AM-1PM. Look up the trail head in advance, as we wondered around the little town (was enjoyable anyhow) for probably 20 minutes before locating it up the hill from the ferry station. Best views of our entire 11-day Norwegian Fjords cruise and not a single tourist was seen for the entire day, in spite of 2 ships (5K people) in port.

Was looking for things to do in Alesund this summer and this hike sounds very interesting.
 

Do you remember how long the hike was  (or how long it took for the entire roundtrip to the dock at Alesund)?

How did you find out about it— do you have tips on finding good hikes near ports?

Thanks!

4 minutes ago, Midwest Sunseeker said:

I had that yesterday on my IPhone. Today all is back to normal.

Same here

Interestingly, Windstar has now adopted a policy that for cruises departing between June 2020 and December 2021 you can cancel and receive a FCC 15 days prior to sailing.  
 

My guess is that probably the larger the ship the harder it is to implement that policy but it would be great if Azamara adopted it (and I am sure Windstar did the math and realized the policy has benefits for them too). 

Not sure if someone has mentioned it, but the Experience More Indulgence package stays the same price regardless of the length of the cruise and it bundles together wifi for two devices, an upgrade on wine and other alcohol, some specialty dining, laundry, and credit for spa and excursions.  If some of those are things you would buy anyway you might find the wine upgrade turns out to be pretty reasonable.

I am curious what people who have deposits for the summer but could still largely get a refund are doing, or how they are thinking about it. 

Will the risk of quarantine be less as time passes, or is the prudent thing to do to try and get a refund and then wait and see about future travel? 

I just noticed in the fine print of my travel agent documents (from a large well-known US-based company) it says they do not “participate in cruise line bid-based stateroom upgrade programs.”  
 

I am wondering if that means we won’t be eligible, or if it means we might be eligible but we’ll need to log in and check if that’s something we are interested in. 
 

We picked a cabin we’d be happy with and I doubt we would successfully bid if we were eligible but I am a little curious if anyone knows the answer. 

2 hours ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

We are snowbirds right next door to you in LA  in Perdido Key, Florida and we loved getting away January 2020! The last 3 years the weather hasn't been the best here so I took matters into my own hands and we spent 14 days on Wind Surf. It was lovely to be in the sun and the warm!

 

We really enjoyed the second cruise that sailed to the ABC islands. They had a lot of personality and were different from your typical Caribbean stops. Of course there are other islands we love too but these are a bit out of the norm. 

We did one of those that also went to two ports in Colombia that were great!

A few years ago we were at Pointe Seraphine, and I think that’s where most ships dock, for what it’s worth. 

My family was teasing me about the odd hour flights we took to get to Barbados— until they heard the stories from other people on the ship. 😉. 
 

Really liked Barbados, Martinique, Bequia and the beach bbq on Mayreau.  Have been to St Barts before and it’s wonderful. Would like to see Dominica and Guadeloupe. 

6 hours ago, hallasm said:

Right side facing forward uphill will mean left side facing backwards when going downhill- you’ll keep the same seat both ways if return.

Thanks-- was curious for people doing Norway in a Nutshell, so not return.

4 hours ago, dronnygirl said:

Definitely the right side of the train facing forward.  In parts the left side is close to the steep embankment 

Is that going uphill, and the reverse going downhill?

Just noting that Azamara also has 2021 cruises that go to the North Cape, and even beyond to Svalbard, although recognizing they are higher in price (but also somewhat inclusive)

Is there any responsible discussion anywhere of how this might affect summer travel outside of Asia?  

Oh no. 😨

Thanks, good to know!

We are trying to figure out how best to use some OBC for excursions.  I am assuming that not every available excursion appears immediately when a cruise is available for purchase, but is that right, and is there a point -- say 6 months or 3 months in advance-- at which you can feel pretty confident they aren't adding more, or do they add more right up until sailing?

12 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

A few selections from reviews plus the fact that it is some distance from where I would prefer to be as an older single woman on an excursion are enough to put me off from the offered options.

 

"If you choose to go do it with an open mind! - this is not a luxury hotel, you pay for the experience, for the sunsets, for the sunrises, for the evening tea in the beduin tent...and it's worth it. Yes, it might get cold, bathroom may flood, but you are in a plastic bubble in the desert, it can happen."

 

"I would highly recommend ear plugs and eye masks to really enjoy more sleep but once you're in the zone it's no different to camping."

 

"One thing to know about the bubble is, at night, everyone can see you and your belongings inside your bubble but you can't see them. . . . . Between 1-3am, a person or people cut a 2 meter hole with a knife in our bubble and crept into our room. The bubbles stay inflated with constant air flow, so there's always white noise in your bubble. We couldn't hear them and you can't see directly into your living room bubble from your bedroom bubble. . . . . The armed thieves took all of our small bags that would fit through the hole."

 I see what you mean! That’s too bad they couldn’t put you up in one of the nicer ones. 

Some of those bubble tent places look quite nice (double beds, ensuite bathrooms, AC, transparent ceiling panels to see the desert night sky etc) but it sounds like you know which one you’d be using and it’s not what you are looking for.