Traveling Fools

Will do!

After receiving a 20% off the cost of a upgraded drink package email from Azamara, I went to our booking page and couldn’t find a button to toggle to process the upgrade. Without any luck finding it, I continued looking over the course of several days for a way to buy the upgrade. I called my TA and asked for assistance, and she suggested I contact Azamara. (With the war in Israel, she had been inundated with making itinerary changes.) Anyway, yesterday, I checked our booking page again and found a new button titled Addons. I toggled that button and found several different purchase/upgrade options regarding internet, land excursions, OBC, Spa, drink packages, dining packages, etc. I was able to purchase the upgraded drink package and a Chef’s table package. This eliminates the burden of waiting in lines after boarding to purchase those items. With less than 2 weeks left before we depart Miami for the pre-cruise land segment of this adventure, I had not received any correspondence from Azamara regarding our boarding documents. This prompted a 5:00 PM EST call to Azamara. My call was quickly answered and within 3 minutes I received an email containing my Guest Ticket Booklet. DW and I have pulled down our luggage. The heavy canvas luggage name tags I ordered arrived. I underwent and passed a pre-cruise clothing inspection conducted by DW. Two days ago, I purchased some travel size essentials that needed replenishment. Later today, I will arrange my meds. Little things that need to be done now and not the day before we leave.

Totally different use of terms when describing type of cabin/suite. Sounds impressive when you tell the uninformed you sailed in a Penthouse suite aboard an Oceania ship. Oceania Penthouse suites are merely upgrade veranda suites.

Yes, We did a NYE cruise in 2004 aboard the Mille. It was a big party with never ending bubbly. DW woke up the next morning a bit hung over, We went ashore in Cozumel looking for some Menudo, but because it was New Years day, everything was closed. We will be spending this Thanksgiving aboard Azamara's "Onward" on a TA from Lisbon to Miami.

Gary, Having sailed "O" in Vista Suite, similar to the one you have booked, I think you will find it difficult to make a comparison of the difference sailing on "O" and in the Haven. Your suite will be spacious and almost like a DOS. But, the atmosphere on "O" will not (can not) be similar to that in the Haven. The food on "O" might be a little better, but the overall dinning and lounge experience on "O" is not as intimate as in the Haven. It will be interesting to read your review and compare it to my one experience with "O". We have a March 2024 Amazon cruise booked with "O". The cruise is part pf an Enchanted Journey, so there was no discretion in choosing cruise lines. All suites were sold out and we are booked in a penthouse. I, like you, will write and share a review.

Shinjuku is a fun district to explore! Be sure to visit the dog and watch the masses when the walk sign is illuminated. Also take an hour and visit the Tokyu Hands Department/Hardware store in Shinjuku. It is a really neat store!

Good to know information. Thank you for sharing!

Subways make it easy to travel between the two cities. I would say it is less expensive to stay in Yokohama rather than Tokyo; just more convenient to where the ship docks. Unless they have built a terminal, there really isn't one.....which can lead to boarding being a cluster... If you intend on going to into Tokyo, you need to identify where in Tokyo you want to visit and take the trains to get you there. If ever you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask a Japanese for help. They will cross their arms if they either don't speak English or if they don't want to help. Most are genuinely helpful and enjoy practicing their English.

Flying directly to Haneda instead of Narita will save you up to 3-hours getting to your hotel

I bet you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express too!🤣

Wasn't recent, but took a TP from "Tokyo" (Yokohama) to Vancouver in May of 2017. Was in a CC. Had sailed in a CC on an M Class before, the only thing new about the suite was the added balcony. Ship was in great condition the crew we came in contact with were excellent. The Captain was the best we ever had!!! He was sailing with his wife and young daughter. He was very personable and engaged with the passengers. The weather turned out to be much colder than anyone anticipated and they had to break out their stores of parkas sold on Alaskan cruises, with Alaskan logos on the front of the parkas. They heavily discounted the price to $25 each. Smart move DaKahuna. Are you flying out of SFO? If so, UAL Business (Polaris) lounge is excellent. They actually have two of them; one of them has a decent buffet, the other an actual sit down restaurant. We lived and worked in Tokyo for 4-years. We did a frequent amount of travel to and from the States. From a jet lag perspective, it was always the east bound flights that kicked us in the butt. They didn't have lay flat seats back then. In 2017 we flew over on ANA Business out of Vancouver with lay flat seats. What a world of difference it made!

IN our early post-retirement days we used to favor booking a cruise with X every year to year and half. Then we cruised with NCL and found their product superior to X's....especially because we were taking spring break cruised with our elementary aged grands. Our last cruise with X was in 2017 from Tokyo to Vancouver aboard the Millie. It was very good, but again spring break lead us back to NCL and the Haven. We have a 2024, 50th Anniversary Greek Intensive Cruise book with X. We only booked with X because they had the right itinerary at the right time, with the class of suite we wanted.

Rainy season doesn't begin until mid-December. We are booked for a March Amazon cruise. I hope the river recovers by then!

The first thing to do is put things into perspective. 1. The war in progress is happening in Israel and the Gaza strip; on the edge of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, 2. Your cruise is making calls on ports on the western Arabian/Persian Gulf, more that 1,000 miles away. 3. With exception of Yemen, there has been no spike in terror alerts in that part of the Arab world and Yemen is more than 700 miles away from where you will be. 4. The countries in that region are all Muslim...not Jewish. 5. There is a large U.S. military presence in or in adjacent countries of the countries you will be visiting. 6. The greatest width of the Arabian/Persian Gulf is 210 miles; between Qatar and Iran. The area in which most of you port calls are scheduled. It is doubtful you will encounter any invading Iranian forces. 7. When you get there refer to the gulf as the Arabian Gulf, NOT the Persian (Iranian) Gulf.

Not only cruise, but travel in general. Years ago we had our our first trip to Egypt cancelled because of unrest.

Have been on one Oceania cruise aboard the "Nautica" from Barcelona to Venice in Oct 2020. We liked the food and how it was presented. Thought they were disingenuous about how they marketed their beverage packages; paid for an upgrade, but that only provided drinks at dinner and not the bars. Because the ship is "small" You get to know the staff. Especially the entertainment staff. That has it plusses and minuses, it's lots of fun to chat with them, but after a sophomoric theater show it's kind of awkward to discuss, or be honest with them about their performance. We also found some of the stalwart O passengers and cheerleaders to really be full of themselves. We have another crise booked with then in March 2004. It is from Rio to Miami via the Amazon (yes, I know about current water levels). It is part of an "Enrichment Journey" with 5-days pre-cruise in Rio. We will see how that compares. If it is anything like the pre-covid cruise we took with O, I will suggest by pacing O and going straight to Regent or Silver Seas. We are booked on a TA aboard Azamara's "Onward" departing Lisbon on Nov 18th. We didn't select the ship or the line Once again it is part of an "Enrichment Journey" that takes us to Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Lisbon pre-cruise; 3-4 days in each location. I find the members of the Azamara forum to be more up beat than those here on X's forum. Not in your face cheer leaders, but just more upbeat and positive. Many of them have been cruise mates on one or more Azamara cruises and enjoy the reunions they have on board. I have learned there is a certain class of Veranda cabins that have dinkey showers. By default we may be booking a second cruise aboard Azamara's "Quest". Once again an "Enrichment Journey" to Africa east coast, includes safaris, Victoria Falls, JTown, Cape Town and the wine country and for those OK with it economy air fare. That's in Jan 2025. Our mainline go to has shifted from X to NCL. We are big Haven fans and love the service we receive in the Haven. I have found if you shop around you can get some super deals on NCL. This coming January we have booked the Deluxe Owners Suite and adjoining 2-BR suite in "Escape's" Haven. Taking two grands, DIL and SIL and paying less than what we are paying on X's Infinity next September for just one suite. The cruise begins the end of Christmas Break and kids go for free. On none Haven ships, generally NCL's smaller ships, the service provided to suite passengers is excellent! Better than I have received booking suites on X's M class ships. Can't make a comparison to the Retreat as we never sailed on an X ship with the Retreat. Have no real desire to sail on Viking, HAL, RCL, or, with one exception, returning to Carnival. Thought strongly at one time about MSC, but after seeing passengers struggling to board and disembark in Cozumel changed my mind. Would like to try a clipper ship, Regent, Crystal, and Silver Seas once.

Let me share a personal experience with you. In Sept 2014, we booked an Owner's Suite aboard the Star for a Scandinavian/ St. Petersburg (9-day Baltic Capitals from Copenhagen) cruise to celebrate our 40th anniversary. This was pre-Haven. I sent an Email to the pre-cruise concierge introducing ourselves, identified the booze we wanted in the room, requested reservations for the Chef's table, advised them this was an anniversary cruise, and asked that they share my letter with the on board concierge. DW and I both have wedding rings that are easy to break and in fact had been broken for a couple of years. Pre-cruise I had then repaired paying cash for the repairs so DW wouldn't know. We had 2-bottles of Veuve in our suitcases that were found, but permitted to go on board without us having to pay a corkage fee. As we were seated in the suite area waiting to board, the concierge came ashore and introduced himself and informed us that our request for reservations at the Chef's table had been made and that it was scheduled for our anniversary evening. He then escorted us aboard and to our suite. I had a moment alone with him and gave him our wedding rings and asked that he hold them until the Chef's dinner and asked if he could arrange for them to be hidden some bread or something similar so that discovery of them by my wife would be a complete surprise. He introduced us to our butler and was sure to explain how best to utilize his services. Both he an the butler would frequently approach us throughout the cruise to make sure every thing was hunky dory. The night of the chef's dinner DW was indeed very surprised to discover her wedding ring wrapped up on the after dinner fruit plate. Could not have done this with out the concierge!

YES! That is defiantly one of the great Haven perks! The evening before check with the concierge to find out when you should meet them at their desk. Either they, or a member of the staff, will personally escort you. You will board an elevator in the Haven and go to the disembarkation deck, they will cut through the mass of passengers to get you to the security desk. You are certain to hear some snarky comments from some of the passengers you are cutting ahead of, BUT remember YOU have paid for that privilege and they could have too! There is no sitting in the theater waiting for your number to be called, only to be taken to the end of a long line.

Dude, The answer isn't going to change. This factor is also something to consider.

Two conditions have to be met: 1. All government entry protocols have to completed and the ship cleared for disembarking passengers. 2. The ship must grant permission for an early disembarkation. I think most international airlines flying to the states depart at night. If you are planning on booking one of those flights, consider booking transportation from the pier to the airport before the ship arrives at Papeete. Depending on the number of crew and passengers disembarking, plus time of day/night catching a cab at the pier can be a real goat rope! Also, FYI, 1) The departing airlines do not open their ticket counters until around 7:30/8:00 PM and there will be a throng of passengers waiting on the open, wide sidewalk in front of the ticket counters waiting for them to open. 2) If it is raining you are sure to get wet; either walking from your cab/uber to the check-in counter or, because they have no jet ways at the airport, from the terminal to the aircraft. They will give you umbrellas to use from the terminal to the aircraft, but will collect them before you begin walking up the aircraft passenger loading stairs....been there done that!

DW and I enjoy the "Suite Life" and save for our cruises accordingly. We have sailed once in DOS with our two grandchildren and thoroughly enjoyed all the extra space. But, that was kind of a one and done deal. Other Haven suites have ample room for the 4 of us (they are veteran cruisers with us). In 2008, my Mom sprung for an Alaskan cruise for all her children and spouses. There was only one request (rule) she made.....that we all meet for dinner. Since then I have wanted to do the same with our children. Our oldest daughter is the hospital for life, DS and his wife (his wife) don't like cruising, so that leaves our younger daughter, her husband, and our 2-veteran cruising grands. Planning a cruise for the 6 of us means two staterooms or suites, preferably adjoining one another. It also requires selecting a cruise that meets time availability issues for DD, SIL, and the 2-grands. A couple of months ago I was looking at prices for a family Holiday cruise. Prices were to steep for me and cabin/suite availability was limited. I looked at the kids school calendar and found they started and ended the Christmas break a week later than normal. Plus, school didn't resume until the Tuesday after the break, and Friday was a only a half day of school. I figured the kids and their school could suffer through them missing 2 1/2 days of school and confirmed with DD they could. DD, SIL, and most importantly DW (the CIC) gave the OK to book it. We were able to book a DOS and adjoining 2-BR suite in the Haven for a great price.....sweetened by a Kids Sail Free promo (something that is never available in the summer, fall, or spring breaks. We will have the space we want and won't be tripping over one another (we get enough of that on our cross-country month or longer RV trips). We will also have sufficient privacy. The dinning table in the DOS will be large enough to seat us all for breakfast, which we almost always order ensuite. It just things much easier to handle in the mornings and eliminate the frustration of getting everyone dressed and ready to either go to the buffet, the MDR, or Haven restaurants for breakfast. Will we book the DOS again? Probably not. There are other Haven suites that provide what we want and cost less.

@lahore I agree with you wholeheartedly, however, TCs for most, if not all, cruise lines contain a war clause that permits changes like these to be made and indemnifies the cruise line(s) from making relative changes if war like conditions exists. In this instance, war like conditions do exist and the cruise line can invoke the war clause to make changes in relative itineraries. Further, if they failed to make relative changes in their itinerary an one, or more, of their passengers or crew sustained an injury or death due to those war like conditions then the cruise line would be subject to a MAJOR law suite which you and I know would happen. Think about it.....the cruise line decides not to change the itinerary. How many You Tube, Face Book Reporters would head towards Gaza to get that 60 second video and ends up incurring a non-combat injury, wounded, kidnapped, or killed. Or, if the ship itself or any of ship sponsored excursion were targeted and hit by rockets, small arms fire, or suicide bombers. Who do you think would be blamed? I realize you recognize and accept the rational of Azamara, and other lines, cancelling stops at Israeli ports; and just want compensation for passengers who have booked the cruise for the specific reason of visiting Israel, but it just isn't going to happen. We were on a 2004 South American cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago with a stop in the Faulklands. There were a lot of Brits and Argentines aboard who had book that cruise specifically for the stop at Port Stanley. Citing weather, X cancelled the stop. We all knew weather wasn't the cause, rather it was a defective propulsion system that resulted in the cancellation of one other port call. Believe it or not, the only compensation X offered and provided was a ship wide 1-hour open bar. Thank-you very much. I speculate Azamara will do much more than open the bar, but know they won't give refunds. And, if they do they will be very limited in scope.

@Sthrngary Have sailed once, just before Covid, on Oceana and booked a Vista Suite. Really enjoyed the suite. Left unsure if all the hype about Oceania was factual. Lor of Oceania cheer leaders out there. Have an enrichment journey consisting of 5-days pre-cruise in Rio followed by a 22 day Brazil/Amazon cruise in this coming March. Vista Suites and higher were sold out. I can honestly say the Haven is a tough act to follow and that we found it more to our liking than "O".

Was just able to access my cruise

@hankandteri Thank You for all the time and effort you have put into this. It has sparked responses that I find educational and interesting. Given my limited knowledge of statistical terms, I never heard of NPS until today. I had to do a search to find out what it is and actually learned something new. Thank you ALL for that. Unless I misread the definition of NPS and is defined as: “Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty and satisfaction measurement taken from asking customers how likely they are to recommend your product or service to others on a scale of 0-10”. I also understand it consists of a two-question survey, e.g. 1. On a scale of 10-0, how likely are you to recommend X to someone? 2. Why? (answered by a written response) Being the simpleton I am in gathering and interpreting statistics, it is my understanding that if the person taking the survey provided a 1-10 answer to Question 1, it could be concluded they would recommend X. Given the 0-10 scale consists of a fill-in box, the score of all respondents to that question can be rapidly calculated. However, the answer to Question 2 involves a human who reads the answer and generates one or more ratings based on any comment provided. That begs the question of what matrix does X use to further rate the written response, i.e., Complain/Praise for food, entertainment, cleanliness, service provide by one or more crew members, etc. It is my humble opinion, the survey could/should be expanded to include “On a Scale of 10-0 how do rate” questions for all the issues respondents include when answering Question 2. I think those answers would provide a more germane and useful product.