Our First Adventure on Azamara

[MightyQuinn]

I’m grateful for all the previous reviews & the collective wisdom shared so easily by members of this CC forum. We’ve recently returned from our first cruise on Azamara Journey & I wanted to share my first-timers perspective. This review is quite long, but I’ve written it in sections so you can easily find what may interest you.

 

Our first cruise was with HAL nearly 20 years ago. Our experience was so positive that we remained exclusively loyal to them for many years & many cruises. We only strayed for specialty cruises on expedition ships or traditional river cruises. We also regularly take land trips to places that are not accessible by cruise ship.

 

About a year ago, we started to explore our cruising options beyond HAL. We were seeking an upper-premium product so we decided to try both Azamara & Oceania. We chose 14-nite transAtlantics on each - westbound Barcelona to Miami on Oceania Regatta (Nov/09) and eastbound Miami to Barcelona on Azamara Journey (April/10). This was our first experience with transAtlantics as we usually prefer port-intensive cruises. But our investment (or risk) would be minimal on a transAtlantic & we’d get an excellent impression with so many days at sea.

 

I previously reviewed our Oceania cruise at http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=61359 so these comments will focus on our Azamara experience, although direct comparisons are inevitable.

 

 

EMBARKATION

 

We made independent air (FF) and hotel arrangements & stayed 1-nite pre-cruise at Sofitel Miami. We took a taxi to the cruise port about 12:30 pm & were efficiently processed by shoreside staff. We traded our passports for our Azamara Seapass, swiped our credit card & proceeded to board Journey. A friendly photographer was lying in wait to capture our weary gaze & we didn’t resist.

 

Once across the gangway, we were welcomed with a glass of sparkling rosé. We boarded onto the 5th floor opposite the Cova Café & settled at a table overlooking the grand staircase. Since staterooms weren’t ready yet, we went to Windows to check out the embarkation buffet. We grabbed a slice of pizza & were barely seated when a server appeared with complimentary wine. This was going to be a good cruise!

 

We soon learned that our sailing had only 491 pax (70% capacity) with 404 crew. Pretty similar to our reverse sailing last fall on Oceania Regatta which had 520 pax (76%) with 397 crew.

 

 

STATEROOM

 

We intentionally booked an identical room in the identical location (swapping port for starboard) as we had on Oceania Regatta a few months ago. It was classified as Club Verandah (2A) on Azamara and as Concierge (A3) on Oceania. It was conveniently located on the 7th floor near the forward elevator. Other than the sounds of crashing waves, our room was very quiet.

 

The room was configured much the same as Regatta with ample closet space, drawer storage and a large floor-to-ceiling mirror. Perhaps it was the décor, but the room was not as bright & airy as on Oceania. Our bed was in rather poor condition & nowhere near as comfy as those we’ve had on either Oceania or HAL. The mattress had obvious dips & depressions. Bed linens were luxurious & in excellent shape.

 

We knew to expect a tiny bathroom so there was no surprise. It was functional & clean although the shower curtain showed signs of mildew along the bottom edge & the shower drain was sluggish. Some towels & facecloths were frayed & in dire need of replacement. Doesn’t anybody check this stuff before sending it to the staterooms? Elemis soap & toiletries were replenished as we used them. Towel animals haven’t found their way onto Journey.

 

The 40 sq ft verandah was noticeably smaller than on Regatta. Who knew what a difference 10 sq ft could make? Balcony furniture was 2 upright chairs & a glass table that seemed inappropriately large for the very tiny space. The privacy barrier between balconies was made of opaque glass that had gaps of about 6-8 inches at each edge. This was not sufficient for total privacy. It was impossible to sit outside & not be visible to our neighbors from some angle. But the weather on this crossing was so poor that we rarely had the opportunity to use the balcony. We had cool temps & overcast skies for most of the trip. The Captain did all he could to outrun back-to-back storms after leaving Miami but we still experienced angry seas with 15-22 ft swells for several consecutive days.

 

DINING

 

Food is an important aspect of cruising for us. While we don’t cruise specifically for the food, we won’t sail on a line that has mediocre food. After reading many reviews about food on Azamara, we set our expectations lower than Oceania but higher than HAL. This made sense since HAL caters more in the larger mass market while Oceania fancies itself as the cruise line for foodies.

 

Even with lowered expectations, we were disappointed with the food on Azamara. Our dining experience on Journey ranks close to the bottom of our 27 cruises. Not only did Azamara fail to reach the level of Oceania, in our opinion they did not even come close to HAL.

 

We were disappointed in the main dining venues:

 

. ordinary menus with limited selections

. obvious repetition of ingredients

. indistinct flavors with many items tasting similar

. heavy use of salt to enhance flavor

. little evidence of fresh herbs, spices or seasonings

. sauces & gravies (and some soups) had starchy consistency

. poor execution of many items: overcooked or undercooked

. hot food often served lukewarm

. less choice cuts of meat & fish for principal entrees

. no fresh berries, only soggy defrosted available

. very limited cheese selections

. homemade ice-creams & sherbets often contained ice chips.

 

But there were bright spots:

 

. Smoothie Bar in Windows

. fresh squeezed OJ & mouth-puckering lemonade

. tasty burgers & kabobs, albeit very greasy, at Pool Grill

. special themed nites in Breeza (Spanish Tapas, Asian Stir-Fry & Indian Curry)

. Cova Café is a little gem for specialty coffees & tasty tidbits

. food presentation was consistently superb in MDR

. complimentary wine with lunch & dinner.

 

Bottom line, dining on Journey was hit-or-miss for us. But over time, we learned how to increase our odds of a better meal. Apparently the trick was to make the right selections. Who knew? Silly us thinking that the kitchen would do a great job on the entire menu. So we heeded the suggestions of servers and/or line cooks who steered us away or toward certain choices. And we did manage to have a few good meals, but they were the exception.

 

I realize that food is subjective & palates vary greatly. I also appreciate that food on any cruise line can vary from ship to ship & even from sailing to sailing on the same ship. Maybe the food we had on Journey was not representative of Azamara. Maybe there were provisioning problems on this transAtlantic. Maybe the food budget was reduced & lower quality items had to be substituted. Maybe the galley crew were exhausted or out-of-sync.

 

And maybe it’s unfair for us to make an assessment of Azamara food based on a single sailing, but we trust our own palates & instincts. YMMV.

 

 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

 

Our 2A room entitled us to 2 guaranteed reservations at each of the 2 specialty restaurants, Prime C and Aqualina, at a price of $15 pp per meal. Since we had no prior status with either Azamara or Celebrity, we were unable to make reservations on-line before the cruise. So we made it a priority upon boarding. We were surprised to learn that both restaurants were operating on a fixed schedule: early (6:00-6:30 pm) or late (8:00-8:30 pm). We tried several times to make a reservation at either restaurant for 7:30 pm. No can do. Nevertheless, we were eager to try them so we accepted their pre-set times.

 

We enjoyed both specialty restaurants. Elegant atmospheres, attentive service, creative menus, flavorable food. So here’s where the talented chefs were hiding! We preferred Aqualina over Prime C. We would have returned (even without our generous OBC) but we encountered the same inflexibility about dining times. Early or late, nothing in between.

To Be Continued ...

[MightyQuinn]

Journey offered a range of games & activities for our 9 sea days. Golf putting, shuffleboard, ping pong, social bridge, bingo & team trivia were regularly scheduled. There were arts & crafts sessions, improv acting classes & ballroom dance lessons. Captain Theodorou even taught a jam-packed room of eager passengers to dance the Greek Korba!

 

There were culinary demos, afternoon tea, wine & martini tastings ($), food & wine pairings ($), photo & computer workshops ($), wellness seminars & fitness classes.

 

There were 3 enrichment lecturers on-board, making for diverse & interesting presentations. All lectures were taped & available for viewing 24/7 on the in-room TV. Recent movies were also on TV but the rotation schedule made it virtually impossible to watch many during normal waking hours.

 

Azamara still has an Art Director on board. He gave a few presentations which were sparsely attended. There were also several silent auctions where various art pieces were staged along the hallways of the 5th floor.

 

On Azamara, loyalty has its privileges. Members of Le Club Voyage were invited to participate in a range of published & unpublished activities, including galley tours, bridge tours, engine room tours, Happy Hour, cocktail parties, connoisseur dinners, wine & specialty coffee tastings. Quite an impressive line-up of extras. Since this was our first Azamara cruise & we had no prior history on Celebrity or RCCL, we were excluded from these events. However, because of our involvement with Cruise Critic, we did receive invitations to the galley, bridge and engine room tours. But no Happy Hour for us.

 

Azamara arranged a couple of Meet & Mingle sessions for CC members. They trump both Oceania & HAL for hosting these events. Cruise Director Tony Markey announced that our group of 60+ was the largest they had on board this year. We enjoyed complimentary cocktails & hors d’oerves and met several senior officers. Hotel Manager Heike Berdos attended both CC parties. She’s the real deal - very approachable & around the ship constantly. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in what CC members had to say.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Who said a small ship can’t deliver top-quality entertainment? Kudos to Azamara for providing excellent after-dinner shows in the Cabaret Lounge on Journey. There was a featured vocalist, pianist, violinist, guitarist, comedian as well as several performances by an Azamara 5-member resident cast. All superb. There were also crew & passenger talent shows which were entertaining but forgettable. Pre and post-dinner music was provided by a harpist, guitarist, cabaret singer & musical trio. There was also pre-show ballroom dancing as well as an after-hours disco.

 

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

We are independent travelers who tend to make our own shore arrangements. However, on this cruise we had a generous OBC so we chose to take a few ship excursions. Journey shorex team was among the best we have encountered on any ship. They were well informed, enthusiastic & helpful. And unlike many shorex staff who become harried on tour day & bark out orders to passengers, the Journey staff remained easy-going & helpful throughout. We took 2 shore excursions that were excellent. Interesting itineraries, informative tour guides, great value for money.

 

 

PUBLIC ROOMS

 

We thought Journey was clean, nicely appointed & well maintained. It has the underpinnings of a great ship. But it seemed to lack the warmth & vibrancy of either Oceania or HAL. Something intangible was missing. In our view, Journey needs a bit more love & careful attention to the little details.

 

Journey has the same footprint as Oceania R class ships, yet there are noticeable differences in how the space is used.

 

The casino on Azamara is larger & slot machines take up space that Oceania uses for its delightful Martinis Bar. Azamara does have a bar near the casino, but with a large screen TV & uncomfortable seating, it lacked the ambiance that Martinis exudes on Oceania.

 

Cova Café is a lovely addition on Azamara. It is the perfect hang-out where we enjoyed many a specialty coffee & light meal. There is nothing similar on Oceania.

 

The on-board shops are virtually identical on both lines, although the nod goes to Oceania for better product selection & merchandising.

 

On Azamara, the Art Director had a desk on the 5th floor opposite the Cova Café. Art works were often displayed for sale around this area, as well as in the hallway outside the casino. The ship photographer & his photo gallery were also located here. This gave a slightly cluttered & commercial feel to the overall area.

 

The Library was our favorite room on Oceania. On Azamara, it was still lovely but something was missing. It’s as if nobody really cared about this space. Furniture was often scattered haphazardly about the room, seating was mismatched & lighting was poor. The “take a book, leave a book” section was usually in disarray, permanent books were often misfiled & there were no subscription magazines. The Library felt more like a forgotten rec room than the elegant space it can be.

 

Looking Glass on Azamara is Horizons on Oceania. This is the spot where passengers gather to enjoy forward vistas thru the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. But on Journey, the centre views are somewhat obstructed by equipment for the on-board band. Nearly half of the windows were blocked by a grand piano, large speakers & synthesizers.

 

But to their credit, Azamara hasn’t converted outside public space on the top deck into revenue-producing private cabanas as Oceania has done. So the best forward vantage points are still available for all to enjoy. But neither Azamara nor Oceania can come close to the wide-open public spaces on HAL, its gorgeous wrap-around teak promenades and unrestricted bow access for scenic cruising.

 

To Be Continued ...

[MightyQuinn]

We experienced a well organized & orderly disembarkation off Journey. As on Oceania, breakfast hours & menus were limited. We were instructed to vacate our room by 8:30 am & wait in a public lounge for disembarkation. This was in marked contrast to HAL where breakfast is not restricted & all passengers can remain in their rooms until they disembark.

 

We arrived in Barcelona at 6:00 am & disembarkation began about 7:30 am. As independent travelers, we had the option of several timeframes to leave the ship. We chose to leave about 8:15 am. The Hotel Manager & Cruise Director were waiting on the exit ramp to bid farewell to departing passengers. Nice touch. We retrieved our luggage inside the terminal & grabbed a taxi to our onward destination in Barcelona.

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We have mixed feelings about whether we would sail Azamara again. We like many of their future itineraries as well as their focus on destination enrichment. We’re thrilled with the included amenities & we’re now members of Le Club Voyage with all its rights & privileges. We love the small ships & have rarely sailed with a friendlier crew than on Journey. There is much to like about Azamara.

 

Yet we hesitate, primarily because they failed to deliver on an important aspect of cruising for us. We can’t ignore our disappointment with the food in virtually all dining venues on Journey. Perhaps it would be better on another Azamara ship. Who knows? So we’ll continue to follow the roll-out of Azamara & maybe we’ll hop aboard again. Either way, we wish them success going forward.

 

[Paulchili]

MightyQuinn,

Thank you for that comprehensive and objective(IMO) review.

I have been waiting for it as we have discussed this before. We are awaiting our first A cruise in September and have cruised on O many times. I may not post a full review (too lazy, I guess) but will post my impressions.

Thanks for all the "pointers" for our A cruise.

Paul

[MightyQuinn]

Glad to help Paulchili.

 

I think Azamara will continue to get better in all areas. The team on-board Journey solicited feedback on how they could improve & were very open to suggestions. They seemed to genuinely care. It's also obvious that the team is solidly committed to the new Azamara & excited about its future.

 

Now if only they could do something about that food .... ;);)

[Paulchili]

Now if only they could do something about that food .... ;);)

 

 

Food is an important part of a cruising experience for us as well.

Did you try (and if so, did you have any trouble) to get extra reservations at the specialty restaurants (esp. in view of your poor experience in the MDR)?

[MightyQuinn]

We enjoyed the specialty restaurants. We tried to make return reservations several times but would have to take their pre-assigned dining times. Early (6-6:30 pm) cuts into Happy Hour while late (8-8:30 pm) affects our peaceful sleep later on! Prime C became more flexible towards the end of the cruise & it would have been possible to go there again, but we preferred Aqualina.

[Jade13]

We only ate in the MDR once and thought the food in both the MDR and buffet was so so.

 

On a 14 night cruise we ate off the ship 3 times, room service sandwiches once when we returned late and 5 nights at Prime C which was excellent. We always took the 6:30pm reservation although on HAL (and Celebrity) we do late night seating 9800pm and 8:30pm). Of course in February the specialty restaurants did not have an extra fee.

 

We thought the pool Grill on Quest was great and ate there on all sea days.

[tgg]

Set Dining Times in Prime C & Aqualina - This must be new. We've never had a problem getting a 7:30 reservation. I agree that there should be some flexibility.

 

Towels - On our last Azamara cruise (our 6th, after 3 on Oceania) we had lush plush towels. They would have been right at home at the Four Seasons. We had the same very high quality towels on our cruise late last year. However there were other people in our Cruise Critic group who said their towels were thin and threadbare.

 

Salty Food - I've always found the food a bit bland. It has never been salty. New chef? Very strange.

 

Art Sales - I too would like to see this gone. And the ship's photographer could find other employment and not be missed by lots of people.

 

Library - I wonder what's happened to the library. On our last cruise, the library looked fine.

[California Native]

MightyQuinn...

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. It's very detailed and you have really

outlined what your experiences were pro and con and what was important for you to have a wonderful experience worth repeating

I haven't be on Oceania, but have spent over 7 weeks on the Pacific Princess which is a sister to both. So, I appreciate the size of the

ship and what it can or can't offer.

While we enjoy fine dining that isn't a dealbreaker

or really a concern for us, we cruise for the ports

After experiencing severe food poisioning on our land trip last year all we want is SAFE food and water.

When you walk down that path, it changes your perception on travelling for life.

Nevertheless,

I think I would be surprised to see frayed towels and with the money that was spent for sprucing.

.I would have thought the mattresses would have been improved.

That's something I expect on Princess as they are known fleet wide for lousy mattresses, but I wouldn't expect on Azamara

We do expect to be pampered with our Discoverer status, so it's

nice to know all that you saw offered.

The positive observations you made gave us a smile.

The not so positive ones wouldn't have really bothered us, but I really respect that Azamara

solicited feeback from you and hopefully when I cruise

with them in October/November this year I can report back if your concerns were addressed.

K.

[MightyQuinn]

We also ate quite often at Pool Grill. DH loved the greasy burgers & I enjoyed the lamb kebabs with grilled veggies. And Cova Café became our fave spot for many a quick meal. The mini-sandwiches on pretzel bread were superb!

[MightyQuinn]

Reservations: A few days into the cruise, we received an “Attention to Detail” comment card asking for feedback on how they could make our cruise better. I suggested a more flexible approach for reservations in the specialty restaurants. Next day, I received a call from Guest Relations. She explained that the specialty restaurants do try to stick to fixed seating times, especially early on in the cruise. Once they learn passenger patterns, they may relax the schedule. We tried many times to make a reservation at either restaurant for 7:30 pm. We were always told we could only have fixed times, either 6:00-6:30 pm or 8:00-8:30 pm. I can only conclude that both specialty restaurants were so busy that they wanted to keep turning the tables twice each nite. It was only towards the end of the cruise that off-hour reservations were possible.

 

Art Sales: Both the Art Director & the Ship Photographer were really nice guys. Neither was aggressive nor obtrusive. And truth be told, I felt sorry for them as they wandered the ship hoping for business. We attended an art lecture primarily to help fill the audience (although we were interested in Dali) and we posed for many a photo rather than say no.

 

Towels: Some toweling wouldn’t pass QC at Holiday Inn. We have pics to prove it! :eek::eek:

 

Salty Food: I’m very liberal in using salt when I cook. So it was very surprising to find some items (typically soups & vegetables) were so salty to the point of being inedible. Really.

 

Library: The Library just needed some TLC. I feel that it was nobody’s job in particular to make sure the room was tidy & presentable. It seemed very neglected.

[MightyQuinn]

I’m glad you appreciated the balance in my review. Nothing is ever absolutely good or bad & we all need to reflect on what’s important to us. We consider food/dining to be an integral part of our cruise experience. We’re not looking for Michelin-starred productions but we do expect high quality, flavorable food. If it’s not up to par, then it negatively impacts our overall impressions.

 

Like you, we usually cruise for the ports. Yet on our transAtlantic on Journey, there were few ports & lotsa sea days. Hence the ship became our destination & the whole food/dining aspect took on more importance. If we had the opportunity to eat off-ship in ports for several days, our outlook may be different.

 

And yes, you can look forward to lotsa goodies with Le Club Voyage. Azamara seems to really focus on keeping its past loyal customers very happy! :):)

[California Native]

 

Like you, we usually cruise for the ports. Yet on our transAtlantic on Journey, there were few ports & lotsa sea days. Hence the ship became our destination & the whole food/dining aspect took on more importance. If we had the opportunity to eat off-ship in ports for several days, our outlook may be different.

 

 

Yes, I can understand that...when it's the destination it needs to be on par with a destination resort such as a Ritz or Four Seasons. Though it does seem besides the food, the ship as a destination worked well with activities to fill your days.

It's nice to know you wouldn't rule out AZ if the itinerary was good. If you did cruise again with them, you have a new base level for your expectations to compare with.

[takemewithyou]

Mighty Quinn:

Thank you for the review.

I have a concern about the mattresses, also. We did the Dec TA on Journey. The mattresses need to be replaced. There is no question about that. I had a conversation with Philip Herbert, HM at the time, about them. He assurred me they were due to be replaced in the Spring. He even said he had verified this with corporate office in Miami because of my concern. I believe he said it would be done at a Spring drydock......although not absolutely sure if he said "drydock".

 

Wonder why this hasn't been done?

 

Does anyone know if a drydock has been done on either Journey or Quest?

[Jade13]

Library - I wonder what's happened to the library. On our last cruise, the library looked fine.

 

I don't see anything wrong with the library and thought it was the most beautiful venue on the entire ship (Quest). I was there for a sabbath service and again for the Best of the Best dinner with the Captain & top officers. This was for the 10 top Suites. I have never been to a more Elegant dinner with beautiful flower arrangements, harpist playing throughout dinner, and wine pairings with all courses. The library looked great when it was just a library but I wasn't looking for any books so can't comment on the organization or materials.

[Jade13]

 

Yet we hesitate, primarily because they failed to deliver on an important aspect of cruising for us. We can’t ignore our disappointment with the food in virtually all dining venues on Journey. Perhaps it would be better on another Azamara ship. Who knows? So we’ll continue to follow the roll-out of Azamara & maybe we’ll hop aboard again. Either way, we wish them success going forward.

 

 

This is interesting because your comment on the HAL board was much stronger in that you would be unlikely to cruise with Azamara again.

 

Well, I guess you never know and I know things can change. We were on Celebrity Century 2 years ago and I thought it was clean but our least favorite cruise experience. It was a 5 night cruise that seemed "dumbed down". We went back on the Century short 4 night last weekend and I felt like I was on another ship. I was "wow" regarding the quality and how much fun we had. On Century I didn't like the way the tired sheets looked, left our steward a note and they were changed the next day. The ship went into dry dock after our cruise last Monday.

[Robb]

Give me Oceania Quest any day.............I could live on that ship. Yummy!!

[cruiseyguy]

When I first began cruising--and then for some time--food was a very important factor for me in choosing a cruise line. But after awhile I began to realize that cruise line food can never approach that of land side restaurants, for a variety of reasons. So food, as long as it was edible, became increasingly less important for me and itineraries, the real reason I travel, became the most important factor.

[Andy]

Hi Mighty Quinn !

 

Thank you for your informative and balanced review. Interesting to hear your comments about the MDR food, and items like the towels. I'm surprised to hear this, though I am sure we can all agree the topic of food is subjective. If Azamara intends to get top dollar pricing, they need to resolve these issues.

 

It's nice to hear about Le Club Voyage. It's a shame the program is off to a rocky start, but it's nice to hear that past passengers were well taken care of.

 

Again, thank you for your excellent review. I hope you will submit it to the Member's Review section.

[Paulchili]

When I first began cruising--and then for some time--food was a very important factor for me in choosing a cruise line. But after awhile I began to realize that cruise line food can never approach that of land side restaurants, for a variety of reasons. So food, as long as it was edible, became increasingly less important for me and itineraries, the real reason I travel, became the most important factor.

 

While I agree with you in general, there are other considerations.

For example the price one pays for the cruise. Speaking of Azamara, right or wrong, I would expect better food for the new prices and accept passable food for old prices.

OTOH, when I cruise on Silversea, my food expectations are very different (and I believe rightfully so for obvious reasons).

Though I agree with you in that itineraries are at the top of my priorities for choosing a specific cruise.

[MightyQuinn]

This is interesting because your comment on the HAL board was much stronger in that you would be unlikely to cruise with Azamara again.

Jade, my comments on the HAL forum were about cruise line loyalty programs & their ability to attract/retain customers.

 

I stated that for us, the quality of our on-board experience trumps any loyalty perks in influencing whether we return to a cruise line. I observed that Azamara had an outstanding loyalty program (in contrast to the lesser programs of HAL & Oceania) with significant tangible benefits for repeat cruisers. But since our recent cruise on Azamara was lacking in several critical areas, it’s unlikely that we’ll be aboard again. There is no inconsistency.

[MightyQuinn]

Again, thank you for your excellent review. I hope you will submit it to the Member's Review section.

Thanks Host Andy!

Just as soon as I edit my comments down to some reasonable word count, I'll submit it to Members Review. :):)

[TraelorMex]

Your experiences are pretty much identical to mine. HAL over Azamara anytime. Food quality was really not so good on Azamara :(

[Zoolander]

HAL vs. Azamara:

 

I would pay more for stricter smoking policies and free-style dining. So... we do!

 

That is why we are cruising with:

 

Regent (they have about priced us out)

 

Oceania (we have booked with them twice, we had to cancel once, they dry docked a ship on us once)

 

Azamara (upcoming, great itinerary)

 

Celebrity (upcoming, seems like one of the best values at sea right now)

 

Our Silver Sea cruise was such a great deal we could NOT pass it up. Though I did not like the smoking policy. (Have you seen the Silver Suite? Unbelievable!):)

 

Everyone should do Disney once. And, I am NOT a Disney guy... trust me.;) And I can't believe their smoking policy is so lenient considering the number of children on board.