Considering Azamara--Some Questions

Be aware of minimum numbers too. Last year we booked two excursions on the SAN Diego / Miami cruise and one was cancelled due to low numbers and the other because the captain skipped the port due to weather. They were the only two excursions we were interested in on the itinerary!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

When I first started with AZ tours varied in size but buses were never full. So we might have an extra bus but we could get two seats per person on some buses.

We also had huge discounts for tours. I use of mix of private tours and ships. Some are a mini van of people and others just me. Costs more but I get what I want.

Yes, it says 25 but I have seen the numbers well over 30,.

I do a lot of reading at home. The only time a guide did not show was because the person in charge never followed up with tour guide.

I have followed up once for summer and will again for winter.

 

I do a lot of reading at home. The only time a guide did not show was because the person in charge never followed up with tour guide.

 

I have followed up once for summer and will again for winter.

As a point of interest, ellbon, I was the person in charge and fully prepaid the tour in a timely fashion. Our guide opted to go with a full-day rather than a half-day tour, and failed to mention that to either TBL or me. He is now no longer guiding in Dunedin for TBL and we were offered a $50 credit on a future tour (which will rot in cyberspace because I'm not taking that chance again).:D

Be aware of minimum numbers too. Last year we booked two excursions on the SAN Diego / Miami cruise and one was cancelled due to low numbers and the other because the captain skipped the port due to weather. They were the only two excursions we were interested in on the itinerary!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was very disappointed last month that Azamara's "Bike Local" excursion in Valencia was cancelled due to low numbers--they told me six people had signed up ($99 PP).

I was very disappointed last month that Azamara's "Bike Local" excursion in Valencia was cancelled due to low numbers--they told me six people had signed up ($99 PP).

That's interesting.

$594 gross income for an excursion produced by Azamara (the folding bikes, helmets, and 1 staff member are supplied) seems like plenty of $ to both pay the local guide, and realize an Azamara profit.

I believe Shore Excursions holds to these minimum numbers in hopes that passengers will react by booking a different tour. And I'm sorry about that because, honestly, a group of six cyclists crossing any sort of road can be a tad unwieldy. The larger group invariably spreads out and will miss some of the guide's rolling commentary.

Sorry you missed out in Valencia, hiccups. Perhaps we should be preplanning alternative bicycle sources for our Azamara cruises.

We have done both private a one AZ which was 3 buses but did not impede the experience.

It depends on the location and safety of that location.

If it is questionable and a great distance we opt for AZ.

We also did their overnight to Angkor Watt which was expensive but done by AZ top notch with only a very small hiccup. It was great to have them handle Visas and speed us through customs and immigration in Cambodia.

We take ship excursions because we don't enjoy doing lots of research anymore, the excursion staff help us select which will meet our interests, we have done before *and* we are able to do (they will email for clarification if needed). We want to do something together with the non refundable on board credit we somehow accumulate for each cruise.

Also Azamara strives to find interesting and unusual excursions in several ports so we're not repeating basic panoramic tours.

Our Regent Cruise free tours was a basic panorama tour in each port. Few others were offered. Maybe because many people only took private tours, took a taxi to lunch or just stayed on board.

Also new to Azamara and wondering about internet packages....

 

 

Under prepaid packages, their website indicates you can purchase 60 minutes for $19.95. Is this a "prepaid" price, or can one purchase however many 60 minute packages they want for the same price once on board?

.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's my understanding that if you buy an internet connection such as the $19.95 package quoted above the countdown clock starts running the second you log in and continues to run for 60 minutes - even if you were only on line for 5 minutes and loged off with the hope of saving connection time for use at a later time or day :confused: .

Seems I was wrong.

I mistakenly thought that if I spend just 10 minutes a day on line my 60 minute $19.95 on board internet connection purchase could be stretched out over 6 days @ 10 minutes per day.

Armed with what I believed to be accurate information I skipped buying the internet package when booking my upcoming cruise and instead will use some of the abundant shore time one gets sailing with Azamara sending and receiving my emails - from a fun little pub on shore that offers free WiFi :whiskey-glass: .

The wifi packages that are a set number of minutes are for minutes of usage. They stop as soon as you log off, so long as you do it the way Azamara tells you to, then start again when you log back in. However I have to say 10 minutes will not let you do much as the WiFi is slow.

You can buy more packages once you have finished your first 60 minutes.

We usually buy one full voyage unlimited package and use that between us. You can only use one device at a time, so we take it in turns to log in.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for your clarification. The lady I spoke with at Azamara [prior to my posting in this thread] certainly didn't understand the paid for internet packages she was trying to clarify for me and probably had been enlightened by another associate just as unfamiliar with how Azamara shipboard connectivity works. Either that or it's a sneaky way of milking some extra cash from guests who don't know how to log out in a way that 'stops the clock' to preserve their measured data time. Not having to worry about running out of [renewable] data time makes it much easier to up sell one of the more costly plans.

Like most, I think being able to get on the internet should be included when booking a cruise - just as it is in almost every hotel I can think of. As for data the hogs, internet at sea is sporadic and slow enough to dissuade them from constantly streaming music anytime they are awake or from endlessly texting, tweeting or face-booking because they don't know how to verbally communicate :mad:. Does anyone remember when the internet wasn't???? Hey wait, I was there :eek: .

Thanks. I just looked at that thread. Azamara's approach to alcohol seems unduly complicated.

I thought so, too! I also thought that the internet packages were very costly. We had an internet package with our initial booking deal, but our TA told us of a price drop. We lost the internet package, but got $500 in OBC, so we will get the internet, an upgrade on the drinks package and one of the dining packages. Worked out nicely!

Sent from my iPad using Forums