Kamlee

We received a 10% early payment discount from Silversea.

Is there anything closer to the port worth seeing? We have been to Bangkok recently and are looking for something else?

We agree with NantahalaCruiser's suggestion of Nong Nooch Gardens for a short trip from Laem Chabang. http://www.nongnoochtropicalgarden.com/ You can get there without having to drive through Pattaya.

Near Nong Nooch you can visit Viharn Sien - a Chinese temple with many sculptures including terracotta warriors, horses and chariots from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi

We have booked a Silversea cruise for November this year. We are paying less per night for a veranda suite than Azamara are asking for an oceanview cabin in April 2019.

Rayong is mainly known as an industrial area. There is very little to see there and it's definitely not worth an overnight stay. If you don't want to go to Bangkok we would suggest Kanchanaburi or Ayutthaya.

We booked early for Singapore - Hong Kong February 2018 onboard Silver Whisper to get the 10% discount and "free" business class air fares. One of the reasons is the "Fare Guarantee Programme" I read about in their brochure. Perhaps I am interpreting it wrongly but it states:

 

"Silversea's Fare Guarantee Programme provides you with the peace of mind in knowing that when you plan ahead and book early, not only will you be able to reserve your desired suite, but you can also benefit from any future reduction in the Silver Privilege Fares for your voyage, upon request"

 

So I thought that booking early was "risk-free" as far as any further reductions in price. Am I interpreting this wrongly?

 

This our first time with Silverseas so I am sailing uncharted seas (pun intended).

We booked and paid for our November 2017 Amazon cruise (Barbados round-trip) in June last year in order to qualify for the 10% discount. Last month we noticed that the price had been reduced. We sent an email to Silversea referencing their Fare Guarantee Programme and requesting a refund of 5%. They replied saying that they were also running a two category upgrade promotion. We were able to keep the suite we originally booked for the price of one two categories lower. We received a refund of 25%.

Both the 10% discount and two category upgrade promotions have now been extended to 30th June, although the price has increased by 1%.

This is probably of more interest to Azamara - http://www.qpsships.com/copy-of-passengercar-ferry-2230-passen

We were very impressed with the service from Super Shuttle in Auckland - https://www.supershuttle.co.nz/

We've now found the 2019 itineraries on a couple of UK TA sites. We would like to book the Circle Japan Intensive, but not at £600 per night for an oceanview!

We are about to take our first Azamara cruise (booked at the very last minute, I might add!) We usually cruise on Celebrity. I've noticed that there are a lot of experienced Celbrity cruisers on this board and I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions I have...

 

LAUNDRY: We are Elite on Celebrity so we will have some of the same perks on Azamara. Is it only one free bag per cabin, not per cruiser? How do they know not to charge you for the laundry- is there a coupon or something that you enclose? Do they return it wrinkled and folded, like Celebrity, or pressed? You are Elite on Celebrity, so you will be Discoverer on Azamara. Yes, it is only one bag per cabin. There is a coupon to enclose with the laundry and the welcome letter contains instructions on what to write on the laundry form. Our laundry has always come back pressed (shirts on hangers).

 

INTERNET: Do we get 90 minutes per elite member or just 90 minutes for the cabin? Do we have to use it up all at one time, or can we spread it out like on Celebrity? It is 90 minutes per member and you can spread it out (don't forget to log off).

 

SPECIALTY COFFEE: Are the included (complimentary) coffees available in all dining venues or only at the Mosaic cafe? What kinds are included (cappucino? caramel macchiato? ) Are there coffee drinks that have an extra charge? We regularly order complimentary espresso in Discoveries, but we don't generally drink coffee.

 

PORT SHUTTLES: How will I know which ports have a shuttle and which ports I will have to navigate on my own if I don't have an excursion booked? When do you find out if there will be a shuttle? Generally a free shuttle is provided unless the ships docks right in the centre of town (close enough that you wouldn't need a shuttle). Shuttle details are provided in the daily Pursuits on the evening before arrival at each port.

 

TOILETRIES: How do they compare to what I'm used to on Celebrity? I'm assuming I'll have conditioner and body lotion in addition to shampoo? Is there bar soap (I hate shower gel)? Yes, bar soap is provided. We think the quality of the toiletries is similar to those on Celebrity.

 

MAIN DINING ROOM: I have been looking at the menus people have posted and they look delicious! I feel like I may have trouble deciding between them. Can I sometimes order 2 appetizers or an extra main dish to share with my DH (like we do on Celebrity) or is this considered uncouth and, well, piggy? Also, how are the desserts on Azamara? Yes, you can oder what you want (although we've always found that an appetizer, soup, main course and dessert is plenty).

 

LUNCH: What venues are open for lunch on Embarkation day? Just the buffet? I'm assuming the MDR is only open for lunch on sea days, is that correct? Yes, the MDR is normally only open for lunch on sea days. It also tends to be open if arrival or departure is around lunchtime. We always eat in Windows on embarkation, but the Patio may also be open.

 

PARK WEST: Are they still on the ship? I hate having them on Celebrity, and I imagine they will be even more obtrusive on a much smaller ship. Park West are no longer on Azamara. :)

 

And last but perhaps most important (:D)

 

ICE CREAM: Can I find it anywhere on the ship or is it just frozen yogurt that's available? (If it's just frozen yogurt like on Royal Caribbean, I'll survive and come home a few pounds lighter!) A good selection of icecream (made onboard) is available in Windows. Icecream is always on the dessert menu in Discoveries.

 

Wow, I guess that was more than a few questions! Thank you if you're still reading this, and thank you in advance if you have time to answer some of my questions. (BTW, this is the first thread I've ever started, so be gentle...:)

Enjoy your cruise!

1. Are the daily complementary wines available in specialty restaurants?

 

2. Is it possible to make wifi phone calls from an Azamara ship? I'm not sure if this can be done from any ship.

 

Thanks for any answers.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

1. Yes.

2. We found the onboard wifi too slow for phone calls. We had more success with the free wifi in a few of the cruise terminals.

Good advice, Bonnie.

Thailand is still very subdued, but life seems to be carrying on much as normal. We were in Bangkok at the weekend and all the shopping malls were very busy. Most entertainment venues are still open, it is generally only public events which have been cancelled. We were initially concerned that we would have problems flying to Dubai for our cruise next Monday, but all flights are operating normally.

However, Thais will be very sensitive to any negative comments about national mourning and especially anything considered insulting to the royal family - keep your thoughts to yourself.

Kampol and Lee.

Most hotels on the river have boat captains who will organise a long tail boat ride for you with a couple of minutes notice. The Millennium Hilton is on the opposite side of the river to a lot of the other hotels. The Peninsula, whilst on the same side of the river, has a boat station on both sides of the river. The Shangri La also has one, as does the Mandarin Oriental and Royal Orchid Sheraton.

 

If you're in the city it might be easiest to get a monorail that stops outside the Shangri La (Krungthep Wing) walk through there to their main wing where the boat station is.

All the riverfront hotels (except for the Shangri La) run free shuttle boats to and from Sathorn Pier which is directly below Saphan Taksin skytrain station. This is the easiest way to reach the hotel boat stations.

After the India visa saga now comes Myanmar:)

 

We are on the 17th November cruise from Chennai to Singapore, this cruise stops in Yangon for two nights

 

Does anybody (?Phil - excitedofharpenden) have any experience in how Azamara handle Myanmar, I'm being given conflicting advice

 

Thanks Sue

When we visited Yangon on Azamara Quest in December 2014 we didn't need to obtain Myanmar visas in advance. Everything was arranged onboard by Azamara. We never encountered any Burmese immigration officers.

Are you able to confirm the time the shuttles start running in the mornings of Nov 22 and 23? We have private tours arranged and if we are picked up at the port exit gate, then there is no need to pay the additional gov't fee for the van to pick us up right by the Journey. I understand that Azamara will have shuttles to/from the port exit gate but I am unable to get an answer from customer service as to the time they start (7:00 am?) and how often they run.

Thanks so much!!

When we visited Yangon on Azamara Quest in December 2014 the first shuttle was at 9:00am and then every hour. You had to get shuttle tickets and the ealiest we could get was 10:00am. However, on both days we left the ship just after 9:00am and were offered the last seats on the 9:00am shuttle (which departed late).

Yikes! I'll see if we can change that photo! Sorry about that...

We see you've changed it already. That's better! It's now a photo of the royal barge Suphannahong.

We agree with the recommendation of a day trip to Kanchanaburi, but you really need to go a bit further to visit the museum and the remains of the railway at Hellfire Pass.

Our other recommendation is for the river busses in Bangkok. There is so much to see along the Chao Phraya river and the river bus is the best way to reach the Grand Palace.

I haven't been to Bangkok in many years but may be lucky enough to go this Winter! I've been wondering what to do with a couple days there.

Here's a list of Five Things to Do in Bangkok.

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/blog/five-things-do-bangkok

 

What would you do with 3 days/2 nights in Bangkok??

 

P.S. here's a list of voyages with long visits to Bangkok onboard the Azamara Journey...

Nov 30, 2016: 10 night Thailand and Vietnam voyage (one night in Bangkok)

Dec 10, 2016: 13 night Vietnam and Thailand voyage (two nights in Bangkok)

Jan 6, 2017: 13 night Thailand and Vietnam voyage (one night in Bangkok)

Jan 19, 2017: 13 night Thailand and Vietnam (two nights in Bangkok)

Bonnie,

We followed your link "Five Things To Do in Bangkok". The final photo in section 4 - "Explore the City's Waterways" is of the Karaweik Royal Barge Restaurant in Yangon. You won't find this in Bangkok!

Hi

We are UK passengers calling at Port Blair on a Nov cruise. Just wondering if anyone has experience of this and whether they were able to get the Restricted Area Permit (RAPS) on arrival. Info on this is fairly minimal and Azamara Customer Service is being rather unhelpful and directing us to visa agents. We have received our Indian visas but despite including applications for RAPs they haven't provided them. We have queried this but no response as of yet. Thanks.

We visited Port Blair on Azamara Quest in December 2014. We only had our Indian visas prior to arrival (Thai and UK passports). Indian immigration officials were onboard to check our documents as we left the ship in Port Blair. If we required Restricted Area Permits they must have been issued at that time.

Just worked for me with Firefox

Try again :)

Thanks, it's OK now. We just had to reload the page.

We have just attempted to register for the meet & mingle for our October cruise on Journey. The "Register for a Meet & Mingle" link (https://secure.azamaraclubcruises.com/cruisecritic/getBooking.do) links to "Page Not Found".

Kampol and Lee.

what's the big deal? get it at any bar, restaurant or lounge. Everyone has a water, classic or premium package at this point

We are still being promised daily delivery of bottled water. Why should we have to fetch it ourselves?

Currently on second leg of Quest sailings. Execution of cooking by Monica and the team is generally excellent (there can always be things that go wrong) but much less beef offered mostly lamb and pork. This needs a rethink to Increase beef in the MDR. Agree dh had a really bad New York strip so have decided that option is off. Just wonder as the maitre Ds answer was we do lovely steaks in Prime C ( yes agree been there a few times ) is this is s ploy to push meat eaters upstairs for a fee.

When we were on Quest in early December we thought there was too much beef and not enough lamb! Maybe the problem is just lack of choice.

It's irrelevant what the amenity is that has been removed - one has paid for that amenity in the cost of that booking and so it should be provided. I realise there are more important things in life and one shouldn't stress about the small things, however, in our country, if you advertise a product/service containing certain amenities that is what MUST be provided.

 

You don't order a car with cruise control but then it's missing when delivered - yes, it may be a petty additional item, but the specification included that item and that's what must be delivered!

 

Do you accept anything that you purchase without checking the item or the T&C? If an appliance had parts missing, such as a vacuum cleaner without certain tools, would you accept that incomplete product? I think many here are attempting to highlight that it's the principle: morally correct behaviour - irrespective of the cost of the item ;).

 

Btw, this change does not affect any of my future bookings but who knows what's next on the cost cutting schedule ;).

The Celebrity UK website still includes "daily delivery of bottled water" in the list of Aqua class amenities. It should get interesting when Eclipse sails out of Southampton in the Summer.

Aha! My friends also reported that the new rose, was sweet, fizzy and undrinkable, which is a shame as on my last few cruises I think I only drank the rose.

 

So, as I too cannot drink Chardonnay, and now it appears that you can only get opened left overs......if you are lucky (!); it seems I need to switch to G&Ts.

 

Firstworldproblems I know, but this is not what we are used to.

 

 

Sent from my iPad mini 4 using Tapatalk

We can confirm that the new rosé wine (an Italian moscato) is exactly as described and definitely undrinkable. G&T would be OK if it wasn't for the tonic they usually serve.

:)

In honor of my dear Friends in the UK...I DID..get the difference on the T/A this time...in the "Windows"..most of the time...it was not Twinings..but one day it was...and BOY...could I tell the difference!!! Their "regular" Earl Gray was ok by this "Yank" standards..but WOW..when the Twinings showed up...because they "ran out" of the other..I could sure taste the difference!! OK..I now know ...there is a huge difference in the tea quality..and then..how to make it???? WELL...that is a "whole lotta kettle of fish"..right??? :) LuAnn

It's good to know at least a few Americans understand tea. Now, if only they had teapots available at breakfast in Windows .... :)