beachmudhut

3 minutes ago, beachmudhut said:

Another well known cruise line with all the same problems has offered full cruise refund to all with all on board expenses wiped out and a future cruise credit.  It is not a cruise line I would choose but that is really impressive.  I would have expected a better response from Azamara.

 Correction:    This applied to all those affected by having to isolate - not the whole ship!

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Thanks for the reminder! I think I have missed port compensation on my policy too. They did refund port charges, and are allowing purchased shore excursion OBC to be used for other shipboard purchases. No other compensation, and frankly, I didn’t expect any.

Another well known cruise line with all the same problems has offered full cruise refund to all with all on board expenses wiped out and a future cruise credit.  It is not a cruise line I would choose but that is really impressive.  I would have expected a better response from Azamara.

UKtog:    Thank you so much.   We have thoroughly enjoyed 'travelling' with you both. 

For some reason my request for Camomile tea would send the waiters in a huddle of puzzlement and we started to enjoy waiting to see what they would bring!  

I think Azamara (and in our experience Oceania) have thoroughly spoiled us with regards to food allergies/intolerance.     We have always been able to relax into the cruise knowing we didn't have to check every item on the menu and that someone was looking out for us.  

We struggled to make ourselves understood on MSC and the waiters would smile and nod as though they knew what we were saying and then bring something entirely unsuitable!   
 

Other than this, we very much enjoyed the cruise on Virtuosa with only 1000 passengers onboard and it was such a joy to actually be on a cruise ship again even if we only sailed off the coast of France.   

We also sailed MSC in June to celebrate an Anniversary.   Agree with all you say UKtog.  We were surprised at how much we enjoyed aspects of the cruise.

 Regarding food allergies etc., I am intolerant of wheat and dairy and it was quite an issue on MSC -  not a chance of a slice of GF toast in the morning or a capuccino made with soya etc. One evening I chose  safe items from the main menu and was presented with a waiver to sign at the end of the meal!

We really long to cruise with Azamara again but flights are a step too far for us at this time.

You are right Grandma Cruising,  it was MSC.   Azamara has always always been our first choice and I don't want to 'crash'  this forum, but we wanted to try a short cruise with the new protocols to see if we would want to book a longer Azamara cruise later in the year.

Having just returned, I can say that we felt very safe and cared for and we would have no hesitation in booking more cruises under the new protocols. 

I write this as others may be curious to know what the new way of cruising feels like.

Masks were worn at all times in public places inside the ship except when dining or sitting in a bar.    Tables were well spaced out and staff made sure rules were followed.

Testing was carried out during the boarding process and temperatures taken every day. We also wore contact tracing bracelets at all times.  Obviously no self service. There were buffets, but the food was located behind perspex screens (as has always been the case on Oceanea cruise ships)  and we were served with our choices.

Surprisingly, all fellow passengers were extremely respectful and distancing was carefully followed by all.

The MSC ship was huge and brand new so there were lots of hand washing facilities located outside the dining areas and staff made sure they were used before being allowed in.  Also lots of lifts so no-one trying to break the four person rule.  I am not sure how Azamara are going to manage this aspect because their lifts are small and slow.  I'm thinking of the crowds that form after the shows.  Maybe we will have to prove we can run up several flights of stairs before they accept our booking!!

There were only 1000 passengers on the MSC cruise instead of 6000 but many of the MDR's were closed off as were some of the accommodation decks so it didn't feel like we were rattling around an empty ship.

In spite of all these things,  we only heard positive comments from the folk we met.  Most didn't want to leave!  We have all been following these protocols on a daily basis for over a year now so it has become second nature anyway.

It will be interesting to know how Azamara will handle the post Covid cruises.

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Is this on MSC ?  Saw some TV coverage.

Yes it is.  We would never sail with 6000 on board but this gives us an opportunity to see this brand new ship.   We treated ourselves to a very nice stateroom so we are more than excited to be doing something different.   

We are trying out a UK cruise on Monday for four days to get an idea of the protocols should we decide to try Azamara later in the year, so we are going to be the UK guinea pigs.   On this particular cruise, masks are worn everywhere inside the ship except when seated for drinks or meals.   Only one person in the jacuzzi.  Ten people max in the inside pool. Temperatures taken every day.  Another test before disembarkation.  Much reduced numbers on board (1000 instead of 6000).

Folk commenting on the forum are still having a good time so we shall see.   Some are just glad to be back on a ship even if it is going nowhere!

It will certainly be very different for all cruisers this year.   For our favourite Azamara, the lack of proper White Nights and Azamazing Evenings and dancing on deck and all the social aspect of their lovely ships, it may be a bit too subdued for some.

Thank you.  I have downloaded a sample for starters.

Thank you Riocca.   We recognised Allure and could see they were mostly RC but couldn't make out Aurora.

Ha ha.  I haven't Read any Patrick O'Brien books but having read some reviews I will download one.   Any recommendations?  Thanks.    So no, not Shelmerston, I think that is supposed to be in Devon.  We are in Dorset so not that far away!    
 

Now we are off to see which cruise ships are out there today.   

Lots of cruise ships anchored off the South Coast where we live.  Four of them today. At least two Royal Caribbean.  We sit on the pier and pretend we are waiting for the tender to arrive!  So desperate for a cruise I would give anything just to be on one of those ships even if it didn't go anywhere.

We are also getting cruise withdrawal symptoms!  

We enquired about a cruise for April 2021 hoping that the deposit would be small and worth taking a risk on losing the money if we decided not to travel.   We were unable to secure a cheaper deposit so reluctantly declined to book.

None of us know what the situation will be next year but I thought the cruise lines would be offering some incentives to attract people back to cruising.

The weather here is grey, wet and windy and right now I would agree to don a Hazmat suit for the duration just to be able to sail again!

Jilly

8 minutes ago, sunlover33 said:

https://www.abta.com/news/abta-calls-industry-wide-action-save-future-travel
 

Still no firm agreement on 7/4/20 

Thanks for your comments SUNLOVER, very helpful.

19 minutes ago, uktog said:

I am not sure about this.  On the One Show on TV the Watchdog slot discussed this very issue and said there had not yet been a decision on the relaxation of the rules.  I am confused, if Azamara offer you the option of a voucher or cash, can a travel agent whom you have booked through over ride this and say no voucher/credit only.

I guess this is a different scenario. If Az have offered a refund in writing then I can’t imagine a TA would override it.    In our case, the River Cruise company have not agreed to a refund.

We have been advised by our TA that the UK Government have agreed to a change of ABTA rules which state that an FCC can be issued instead of a refund.  If the FCC is not used after two years then it will be possible to apply for a refund.    

Our cancelled cruise is not with Azamara but it seems many travel agents are quoting this change in ABTA rules to avoid paying refunds on any holidays.

Since we are told we can claim a refund after two years, I guess we won’t have much luck trying to claim from our credit card provider either.

I just thought this might be useful info for the UK folk on here. It possibly explains why cruise companies have been stalling in issuing early refunds.

1 hour ago, hamrag said:

 

Yes, I understand that for Florida residents it probably doesn't work! For us, flying from the UK, it adds only the equivalent of about $100pp to our return air and we need to fly a couple of days early at that time of year (potential snow UK and USA connecting airport) so hotel needed either way.

Norwegian Airlines fly direct to San Juan from Gatwick.  Maybe this could be a better connection for you.  We did this route and would choose it again without hesitation.  Less chance of snow and only one lot of customs to cope with.   Not sure if it would work for you because they don’t fly to San Juan every day.  (I would prefer a couple of nights in San Juan on the beach than New York in the snow!) UK travel companies rarely suggest this airline.  

We were on Quest in September and they did offer gluten free beer (Daura brewed in Barcelona).

I was fine on the Jan 8th cruise but since returning home I have had a severe chest infection, sore throat and heavy cold. I think I may have picked up an infection from the plane's recycled air on the return journey. This is always a risk of air travel, especially in the winter.

Hope you get well soon Lottie. Jill

While I love the Reidel "O" glasses for convenience at home and I do not mind that the white warms up a bit faster than it should, the size of the red wine glasses are too large for my hands.

On Viking at Christmas the glasses were nowhere near as tall as the one in the picture and the glass was quite thick. I can see the Reidel glasses are very beautiful and I might have felt differently of my wine had been served in one of these.

Maybe Viking have listened to the comments. Stemless glasses were on the table in Manfredi and MDR on our sailing.

If tumblers - oops sorry - stemless glasses are so on-trend, and if spillage is the issue, why didn't they serve the 'paid for' wines in the same type of glass?

Can anyone who has cruised this itinerary tell me whether there is any tourist information available on board when we arrive at each port? We have never cruised with Viking before but on Azamara, there is usually a 'local' who comes on board with maps to hand out (and invaluable knowledge about destinations and transport options) as soon as the ship docks.

 

Thanks - in anticipation!

 

 

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No they do not have this service on Viking. There will be some maps but not anyone local to offer information. We love that they do this on Azamara.

This thread had a few people saying they serve the "house wine" in tumblers, not wine glasses with stems. There seems to be varied comments.

 

So, those that drink the house wine with lunch and dinner - what are they served in?

 

I am guessing they are at least glass, but still. I stemless wine glasses. One of the reasons for the stems to is to keep your hands from warming up the wine.

 

And, what do they serve when you buy wine at the bar?

 

(decided to not hijack that thread)

We were on Viking Star at Xmas.

I can assure you that the "free" wine was served in GLASS tumblers in all venues at lunch and dinner. No finesse, just red or white, no showing of labels or explaining about the wine.

In the MDR, at shared tables some had tumblers and those who had paid for the drinks package had stemmed.

From another post, apparently stemless glasses are now trendy for serving wine. I didn't look at the label to see if it was a Riedel glass but to my untrained eye it was just a tumbler.

If you buy wine at the bar it will be served in a stemmed glass.

I did not drink much of the "free wine" partly because the few I tried were not to my taste, however we shared tables with others many times and the same wine glass discussion came up over and over!

On certain occasions such as embarkation, captains night etc, champagne and wine was served on trays and then it was in a stemmed glass.

Hope this helps.