Live Holy Land Journey 10/10-10/22

[3418ahl]

Boarded the ship yesterday, after sightseeing in Athens. Checkin was fairly painless, with drinks and snacks while waiting. There was also someone at checkin to take specialty restaurant reservations, so we decided to start our first evenin with dinner at Aqualina.

We were greeted with rose and white wines when boarding, and proceeded upstairs to a wonderful buffet luncheon. After this we went to our cabin, which though small provided more than sufficient space to store four suitcases of "stuff".

 

The ship has a well kept classic grandeur about it. It is wonderful to see true wood paneling, wainscoting and marble. There is a definite difference between "glitz" and class.

 

The level of service is amazing. You can't even get your own coffe from a machine, there is always someone to do it for you.

 

Dinner the first night in Aqualina was a gourmet treat. We started with cold seafood platter, which had an entire MAINE lobster tail, accompanied by stone crab claws, clams on the half shell, mussels and shrimp. This was followed by an excellent boullabaise. Then came what may be the best piece of sea bass I have ever eaten. Of course, I managed to save room for dessert too. People who ate in the MDR raved about the pork scallopini smothered with crabmeat.

 

Today we awoke and went up to the buffet for an early breakfast. We have never seen two different kinds of smoked salmon and at least four different kinds of herring on a buffet. I couldn't resist the carmelized pears, and banana oatmeal carmel brulee! (Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?).

 

We tendered into Mykonos, went to see the ruins at Delos, which was worth the trip, and then returned to ship for a late luncheon and nap.

 

Tonight we ate in the MDR, and the meal was excellent. Huge veal chop done just right.

 

The cabaret had an excellent classical pianist, and was filled to standing room.

 

Tomorrow, on to Rhodes. So far, I have nothing but wonderful comments.

[ptcellen]

We were on the 14 night eastern med. cruise on Journey last Nov. and loved every minute of it. One of my favorite cruises. You will love Egypt and Israel. Felt that they were the 2 best ports of the entire cruise. Enjoy, and keep us posted.

 

Ellen:)

[SkystheLimit]

Thank you for taking the time to post your experiences. We were on the Quest in August and September and it was truly the best vacation we have ever taken. Look forward to hearing about your experiences in Egypt. We are thinking of booking a similar itinerary next year. Definitely would like to hear about your shore excursions. Hope you continue to have fun!

[Dr H]

That might decrease the chance of dinner with you next week. I was thinking about you and W on my drive in to work this AM. Hope you took notes in Athens. I love your line "There is a definite difference between "glitz" and class." The banana oatmeal creme brulee though does not excite me (glitz?). Just save room for the bougatsa in Chania.

 

Have a ball, keep posting. OSD and I are both counting the hours at this point.

 

David

[suec12]

Thank you for your post Joyce! did you have a meet and mingle on this trip? when you made the speciality restaurant reservation, was it for just the first evening or for any evening on the cruise? Again, thanks for taking the time to post and enjoy! enjoy! enjoy. See you soon - Sue

[Andy]

Hello !

 

Thank you taking the time to share your comments. It's always great when your Cruise gets off to a great start ! I hope you have a wonderful time on Journey, and I look forward to your updates.

[geocruiser]

Thank you for taking the time to post. I will be on her in Feb. Please leave some food for me!

:)

Maria

[nonrev1]

Glad to hear that you are having a great time. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are on the ship, too! They cruised with Crystal for years and this is their first time on Azamara.

Can't wait to hear more....we are on the Quest in Feb.

[3418ahl]

Day two and just back from Rhodes. We had downloaded a walking tour for our mp3 player from the net and it worked beautifully. Rhodes was wonderful, but there is far more to do here than can be accomplished in one visit. It does go on my list of "favorite places to revisit".

 

We came back at about 2:00, exhausted and ready for the wonderful lunch we had of leg of lamb, Israeli couscous and spinach. There were also reuben sandwiches made to order, chicken, pork loin and two types of fish. Although the buffet is not gigantic, everything is of the utmost quality and cooked to perfection.

 

For those interested, tonight's wines are:

 

White - Don Alegario, Albarino, Galicia, Spain

Red- Periquita Reserve, Setubal peninsula, Portugal

 

The dinner selections in the MDR are Fried Pork Dumplings over baby bok choy, Yellow fin tuna, lemon grouper, chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and leeks, duck breast with orange honey, filet mignon & 1/2 lobster tail, and a vegetarian selection that was too long to write down!

 

The entertainment for the evening is a show of movie tunes. So far the entertainment has been far more "entertaining" than I expected.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day, which we sorely need, since Israel and Egypt come directly after, with no break in between. Signing off for now to go and lie by the pool with a good book. The temp today is 78 degrees, but cloudy.

[cannongate]

Thank you for posting. I will be on the same cruise in just a few weeks so I look forward to your post and comments.

 

One question, where did you get your walking tour of Rhodes?

[3418ahl]

Just a few more notes...the M&M was lovely, with over 50 people in attendance. Crew Director Eric was there and introduces senior crew members. Wine was served, along with delicious canapes.

 

This ship reminds me of a boutique European hotel. It is not small, but cozy. Even the Looking Glass Lounge, with it's floor to ceiling views is wonderful. On most other ships, if you do not move to the front or extreme side of the observation lounge to look out, all you see is more of the room. On this ship, wherever you sit you have a beautiful view of the sea or port. The theatre (I believe it is the Cabaret Lounge) even when filled to SRO never feels crowded, just "intimate".

 

The only SMALL dissapointment was that the tea hour "sweet surprises" consisted of just some of the desserts from lunch, rather than the usual small tea sandwiches and different dainties one usually sees. But this is a help for me rather than a hindrance, since after a heavy lunch it's the last thing my body needs!

[OneSmartDaddy]

Thank you Joyce. I knew it was a good idea to have you guys go ahead and be the tasters. I posted on our board, How is the coffee? Gives an update on that.. Sylvia and I are sitting here tasting different instant coffees. If you give us a favorable report, it will save many of us from toting coffee on board. That would leave more for olives or onions for the Martinis that Dr H will be preparing.

I look forward to your next report with a drooling mouth.

OSD

[Dr H]

Pleased to report that the onions and olives were packed up last night, resting quietly in the fridge waiting for their final placement into the suitcases. The champagne splits get packed tonight, as does half of my clothing. (DW hasn't started packing yet, I can already hear the screaming and histrionics to come this weekend)

 

We aren't taking coffee, I put my trust in the Cova bar for morning cappuchino, afternoon and dinner espresso. However, we will be packing loose tea, two flavors. We have a great, smoky Scottish blend, and proper Earl Grey. As long as Azamara has hot water and a tea pot for us (would you mind checking on teapot availability?), we have tea. I will put in a personal request for daily afternoon scones to go with the tea. Tea sandwiches were never a big turn-on, scones however are.

 

I would love to say I'm envious of all of you, but I'm not. You are painting such a wonderful picture, I'm just grinning from ear to ear for you (and us!). Your notes are just so at odds with complaints some pills have been posting, it's really refreshing to read them. And thanks a million for arranging for Friday night's dinner. I don't want to rush your days away, but can't wait to meet you fine people.

 

David

[Architect]

This ship reminds me of a boutique European hotel.

 

Well that sounds just about perfect. Thanks for sharing your experiences, looking forward to embarking!

[OneSmartDaddy]

Hi Joyce,

185 hours, 56 minutes, and 34 seconds till boarding. Yessssssssss!!! But who is counting.

 

Please tell us about the quality of the coffee onboard in the cabin etc

I have my stuff laid out and checking the weather forecasts daily to determine what I will finally be packing.

OSD

[3418ahl]

Well, today was supposed to be a "quiet" at sea day. I woke up, went to breakfast and picked an assortment of fresh raspberries, strawberries, pineapple and orange to be made into a smoothie. There was also an excellent enrichment class on Egypt. The officers served a barbeque buffet at the pool deck, but since we in NC get all too many ribs, fried chicken, etc. we opted to eat prime rib in the indoor buffet. The MDR was also open for lunch, but I do not know what they served.

 

There is an elegant tea today at 3:30 and then a happy hour for LeClub Voyage members at 5:00. For dinner:

 

White wine: Caposaldo Pinot Grigio, Veneto, Italy

Red: Chianti Classico, Mellini

 

Pappardelle with Tasso Ham Carbonara

Pan seared grouper

Lemon-thyme baked salmon

Grilled deboned grouper

Tasting of beef and veal tenderloin

Broiled NY strip steak

 

I only drink Cappuchino (from the machine or Mosaic) and find it drinkable. My husband says the coffee at the buffet from the machine is better than that from the small portable "Bun" brewers. Both of us have Cappuchino in the MDR.

 

Tomorrow, we arrive in Israel and the Israel customs want to see each person with their passport in hand before we can debark. We have a two day tour. Will post how we enjoy it.

 

I think I downloaded our tour of Rhodes from discovery walking tours, but will double check.

[Dr H]

For either, specifically ask for it to be made "short" (corto in Italian). You only want ½ cup of coffee in the demi-tasse cup, not a cup cup. Honest, NO MORE! THEN add the foamed milk into a regular cup. I promise, it will improve dramatically.

 

L'chaim, v'shalom! Many thousands of souls, over countless generations have given their lives to allow you to experience the sheer joy of seeing that coastline of Israel looming out of the mists on the horizon. Cherish every second of the experience. "Blessed are those who come..."

 

David

[suec12]

Thank you for taking the time to post Joyce - I think those of us that are coming very soon REALLY appreciate hearing about what we will soon be enjoying! Have you tried any of the fish entrees? the prepartations sound tasty but fish can be disappointing IMO sometimes even when it sounds yummy. Have a wonderful time in Isreal!

[tgg]

Have you tried any of the fish entrees? the prepartations sound tasty but fish can be disappointing IMO sometimes even when it sounds yummy.

 

I recently enjoyed the sea bass on the Quest. It was cooked and served perfectly.

[suec12]

tgg - was this the seabass in Aquilina or in the main dining room? thanks!

[3418ahl]

Waaay too tired tonight to copy down the menu for the MDR. We had the first day of our Israel tour with Guided Tours of Israel, and everyone is dragging. We went to Acre (fascinating), Copernium (?), the Sea of Gallilee, and more. Left the ship at 8 am and returned at 6 pm exhausted.

I highly recommend Guided Tours of Israel, but you have to book early. They were totally booked out.

 

Last night was Eric DeGray's show. It was WONDERFUL. Don't miss this. It was the best show we have seen.

 

Also, yesterday I offered my first constructive criticism to the crew. We ordered iced tea with dinner last night, and it was Nestea mix. A ship of this caliber needs to offer fresh brewed tea. Not everyone wants wine every night. Also, the teas offered at the elegant tea yesterday afternoon were the same everyday tea bags offered at every meal. They need to have some specialty teas for this event.

 

Last night I had the ricotta ravioli offered for an appetizer and it was superb. One of the best things I have eaten. For all you "chocoholics", don't miss the chocolate crown...some type of fudgy chocolate over a light chocolate mousse served in a molded white chocolate cup OMG!!

 

When we got back to ship tonight, there was a special Mediteranean buffet offering EVERYTHING you could want, shrimp, scallops chicken and steak cooked to order, grilled lamb chops, paella, fried calamari, antipasto, caesar salad, crepes, cherries jubilee and many other items. They had tables set up outdoors, overlooking the Haifa port and it was wonderful.

I also had the blackberry sorbet someone on the board was raving about and it was perfect. Not too sweet and not too tart and very cooling for a tired body.

 

Right now I am going down to Mosaic to see if they will make me a frozen coffee drink of some kind. The temperature in Israel was high nineties today and with all the walking it was exhausting. It's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow in Jerusalem. Then on to Egypt immediately after.

Pardon any spelling errors...good night all!

[Jade13]

Great Review.

 

If you get a chance can you find out if Captain Carl will be onboard until Athens next May?

[TourDeCruise]

Thank you over and over for your live posts from the Journey. We were just on the Quest from 20 September to 2 October and enjoyed our first Azamara cruise so much that after several days of being home, we booked the Holy Land cruise on the Quest for the end of October next year. Although some of our ports will be different, some are the same and your information will be very valuable in our planning as well as sustaining the excitement in the initial stages of our planning.

 

Thanks! Looking forward to more of your posts.

 

Kathy

[tgg]

tgg - was this the seabass in Aquilina or in the main dining room? thanks!

 

The first time I had the seabass it was in the MDR. Don't remember where it was the second time. We ate in Aquilina, so it could have been there.

[Dr H]

Hang in there with the tea. I have loose Earl Grey, Scottish Lochie (mildly smoky black tea) packed. Will go through the repertoire for some more loose tea, and will pack some decent tea bags. Will gladly give up decent coffee/tea on board for lobster and lamb chops by the pool. (J, is there any way I can contact you in Rome? I'm planning on lunch in town before catching the 2:10 train to Civitavecchia)

 

David