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Also glad they stopped doing that disembarkation talk thing in the theater where they made all the ship's employees come up on the stage to be applauded.

(Or could it be that they still do it, just that we stopped going to it. :confused:)

Now that made me add my 2 cents worth. I usually cruise on Azamara and one of the highlights of each cruise is the disembarkation talk and salute to the crew. The Captain is always there and representatives of each department walk to the stage, give their name and country and sometimes add a little remark about the cruise. It gives us an opportunity to put faces to all the unseen crew and gives them an opportunity to get the recognition they deserve.

There is something that I have been pondering for a long time and now that relative calm has been restored over free laundry and free internet minutes for loyal cruisers, maybe now is the time to bring it up.

I love the tote bags that Azamara gives out to every stateroom. They identify fellow Azamarians at every port and airport and I have had many nice conversations after recognizing people from their totes. I always pack one in my luggage to make sure that I will have one. But, I have cruised over 10 times and I now have over 10 totes. I don't need any more. Why doesn't Azamara provide as a perk for Explorer and above the ability to trade in the tote for something else of equal value? A bottle of bubbly, perhaps (now that that is no longer a perk), or an Azamara t-shirt or an Azamara water bottle?

 

Azamara has set the Terms and Conditions. It is up to Cruisers to use the T&Cs to their best advantage.

I have held off adding my "two cents worth" on this topic but this resonated with me. When I go on a cruise, I want to just have fun and enjoy the experience. I don't want to have to use the T&Cs to figure out what benefits I will receive at the Explorer or Discoverer level. Just as I don't want to have to figure out whether a particular mixed drink that I enjoy will be included in the free beverage list.

If I am promised a $199 upgrade, I expect to be able to purchase the upgrade. And the free nights offer, after achieving a new level, actually makes my head spin.

The way I read these benefits after January 1 is that the only tangible acknowledgment of my Discoverer level that I will receive upon boarding the ship will be the word Discoverer printed on my seapass.

I've only been on two Evenings, the first Quest Azamazing Evening in Gibralter and the second just this month in Sorrento. I thought they were great both in the venue and entertainment and also in the logistics of transporting hundreds of passengers from the ship to the place. Especially in Sorrento where we all had to be tendered to port; driven up from the port to a transfer point in a small bus; and then driven to the Hilton grounds in a large bus for the wonderful food and entertainment. All this within about 45 minutes from the time the first passengers left the ship until the last ones left. I certainly was not disappointed with the evening nor were the other passengers seated at our table. They were all first-time Azamara cruisers and all said that if this was indicative of special Evenings, they would book Azamara again for sure.

I did send along the comments re. a bubbly. I'll be in the offices most of next week. I'll see what I can find out for you.

bb

I asked on my last cruise with Azamara why sherry wasn't included in the list of beverages and no one could answer me. So I am asking you, Bonnie, what about sherry?

Please get well, Bill, and make it soon. We all miss having you on this Board.

To then add a $2.50 tax is, in my opinion, nickel and diming. Azamara should absorb the tax and not pass it along to passengers.

Dear Bill - you beg the question. Why is Azamara passing along to the passengers a tax that may be capricious, differs from one EU country to another and not readily understood when a modest increase in the fare could cover it?

I seem to recall that Larry Pimental wanted to make Azamara a premier cruise line and wanted to do away with those petty nickel and dime charges, like charging for water and specialty coffees. Since I have been cruising with them, Azamara has raised the price of dining in the specialty restaurants from free to $5 to $15 and now to $25 for all passengers who are not in suites. To then add a $2.50 tax is, in my opinion, nickel and diming. Azamara should absorb the tax and not pass it along to passengers.

I try to find some little thing that I can hang on my Christmas tree, like a ceramic cicada from Provence or a penguin from Ushuaia. Has anyone bought turkish towels while in Turkey? We are going in October and hear that they are an interesting souvenir.