For Bill Leiber: Journey october 15th cruise, no land discoveries on the 19th?

[gaudi1234]

Hello Bill,

 

We are booked on the Journey October 15th cruise (Holy Land). As of today, the Land Discoveries for our different ports of call are all listed except for October 19th, which is our 2nd day in Ashdod, where there are Zero land discoveries offered.

 

I called Azamara and was told that since the ship leaves at 3:00pm that day and all the land discoveries that are offered on the 18th (1st day in Ashdod) last around 8-10 hours, they cannot be offered on the 19th.

I then asked about why no half-day tours are offered because sister company Celebrity has half-day tours listed for Ashdod (for exemple Bethlehem 5h tour or Jaffa/Tel Aviv 5.5h tour or Jerusalem 5.5h tour).

I was told that maybe eventually some half day land discoveries MIGHT be added but no idea when and that maybe there would be NO land discoveries offered at all on the 19th, leaving the passengers up to themselves.

 

I have never been on a cruiseship where no shore excursions were offered while the ship was in port. I believe that having no shore excursions offered at all while in port is not a reasonable or adequate offer, since Azamara wants to help us discover the world and immerse ourselves in the destinations. Especially, from what I have gathered, Ashdod is not an easy port to organize tours by ourselves (except if you go with a private driver) and there is nothing of interest in the port area.

 

Would it be possible for you to look into that with the land discoveries department? I suggest 2 reasonable courses of action IMHO: Either offer some half-day tours OR schedule the ship to leave port later than 3:00pm so the full day tours offered on the 18th can be offered again also on the 19th.

 

Thank you very much and have a great day!

 

Louis

[Jade13]

 

I have never been on a cruiseship where no shore excursions were offered while the ship was in port.Louis

 

We have been on cruiseships with no shore execursions, one example on a transatlantic on HAL where Greenland is considered a maintenance stop or half way point. We were also there for a full day. It did not stop us from chartering a small boat to take us right to the ice cap.

 

We never made it to Ashdod last year on Azamara as we were diverted to Haifa because of gunfire on the gaza strip, so I don't know what is near the port, but I can recommend a couple of guides if you need one. We did one Azamara excursion in Israel, as well as had two differant private guides. While we enjoyed all of our Azamara excursions except for one (in Turkey), Israel is the one place I would recommend a private guide.

[nonrev1]

We were on an Azamara cruise last month and there were no tours offered for one port. A group of us from CC got together and planned our own tour. In the end, the visit was canceled due to high winds. We are on another Azamara cruise next month and on our second day in port there are no tours planned. Again, we made plans and will have a full day scheduled. Do take Jade13's advice and hire a private guide or join a group from your CC group.

[uktog]

Hello Bill,

 

We are booked on the Journey October 15th cruise (Holy Land). As of today, the Land Discoveries for our different ports of call are all listed except for October 19th, which is our 2nd day in Ashdod, where there are Zero land discoveries offered.

 

I called Azamara and was told that since the ship leaves at 3:00pm that day and all the land discoveries that are offered on the 18th (1st day in Ashdod) last around 8-10 hours, they cannot be offered on the 19th.

I then asked about why no half-day tours are offered because sister company Celebrity has half-day tours listed for Ashdod (for exemple Bethlehem 5h tour or Jaffa/Tel Aviv 5.5h tour or Jerusalem 5.5h tour).

I was told that maybe eventually some half day land discoveries MIGHT be added but no idea when and that maybe there would be NO land discoveries offered at all on the 19th, leaving the passengers up to themselves.

 

I have never been on a cruiseship where no shore excursions were offered while the ship was in port. I believe that having no shore excursions offered at all while in port is not a reasonable or adequate offer, since Azamara wants to help us discover the world and immerse ourselves in the destinations. Especially, from what I have gathered, Ashdod is not an easy port to organize tours by ourselves (except if you go with a private driver) and there is nothing of interest in the port area.

 

Would it be possible for you to look into that with the land discoveries department? I suggest 2 reasonable courses of action IMHO: Either offer some half-day tours OR schedule the ship to leave port later than 3:00pm so the full day tours offered on the 18th can be offered again also on the 19th.

 

Thank you very much and have a great day!

 

Louis

I am sorry Bill I have been trying to get answers about this and private options via the email address you suggested and have not even had a reply.

 

Not shooting the messenger but I find the response Louis was given to be completely unacceptable from a Destination immersion line. Why bother even marketing this great overnight stop in Ashdod to allow us to maximise our experience when there is no experience day two.

 

Sorry but I am now extremely unhappy about what is happening to this cruise that has already been messed up once and nothing about the wonderful onboard experience will compensate for wasting from 0800 to 1500 in a port

 

I hope there is a rapid reconsideration of what is being offered

[gaudi1234]

Good evening!

 

Nonrev and Jade13: We are used, depending on itinerary and situation, to sometimes use private tours, sometimes ship sponsored tours and sometimes going on our own by taxi or other public means of transport.

 

On this particular day, since the ship leaves at 3:00pm, we can only do a half-day tour and the private drivers charge almost as much as they do for a full day tour (like only 15$ less per person (considering we are 4 persons travelling together))

 

Also, since the ship leaves early, at 3:00pm, we feel more secure with a ship sponsored tour for that day, as opposed to days when the ship is in port much later.

 

Uktog: Hope to get some info soon, love planning our vacation!! But a missing link is an obstacle in our planning!

 

Louis

[greeneg]

I am sorry Bill I have been trying to get answers about this and private options via the email address you suggested and have not even had a reply.

 

Not shooting the messenger but I find the response Louis was given to be completely unacceptable from a Destination immersion line. Why bother even marketing this great overnight stop in Ashdod to allow us to maximise our experience when there is no experience day two.

 

Sorry but I am now extremely unhappy about what is happening to this cruise that has already been messed up once and nothing about the wonderful onboard experience will compensate for wasting from 0800 to 1500 in a port

 

I hope there is a rapid reconsideration of what is being offered

 

Part of the problem may well be that October 19th is a Friday, and many, many things in Israel close early on Friday because of Shabbat ( Jewish Sabbath) starting about 2:00 in the afternoon. I would think that that would be a factor in the offerings ( of lack thereof). One possible alternative is to spend the night of the 18th in Jerusalem which would at least allow for touring on Friday Morning. The drive from Jerusalem to the port at Ashdod is about an hour, so I would suggest leaving the City no later than 1:00 so as to have some time in hand.

 

When we were on the Journey in Israel in 2008, we also departed on a Friday, but it was approximately 6:00 PM when the ship sailed.

 

Ed

[uktog]

Part of the problem may well be that October 19th is a Friday, and many, many things in Israel close early on Friday because of Shabbat ( Jewish Sabbath) starting about 2:00 in the afternoon. I would think that that would be a factor in the offerings ( of lack thereof). One possible alternative is to spend the night of the 18th in Jerusalem which would at least allow for touring on Friday Morning. The drive from Jerusalem to the port at Ashdod is about an hour, so I would suggest leaving the City no later than 1:00 so as to have some time in hand.

 

When we were on the Journey in Israel in 2008, we also departed on a Friday, but it was approximately 6:00 PM when the ship sailed.

 

Ed

 

The 1400 closures should not affect us as we sail at 1500.

An overnight is an option, but I would prefer an offering through the cruiseline in case of issues in this part of the world.

 

I continue to be surprised in the planning of the timings for this cruise that the cruiseline did not notice they

a. had not allowed enough time for excursions on Day 2 and

b. (if it is the case) might run into issues with being in port on a Friday.

 

If we were talking about a budget cruiseline maybe you could accept this no excursions line, but as others have pointed out, the whole focus is on destination experiences in Azamara and the publicity to encourage us to stay with the cruise when significant alterations were made to the itinerary were all around the overnight in Ashdod and the opportunity to explore more. Sound like it would be better if the ship just pulled out of port at midnight rather than have this non overnight experience

[greeneg]

"If we were talking about a budget cruiseline maybe you could accept this no excursions line, but as others have pointed out, the whole focus is on destination experiences in Azamara and the publicity to encourage us to stay with the cruise when significant alterations were made to the itinerary were all around the overnight in Ashdod and the opportunity to explore more. Sound like it would be better if the ship just pulled out of port at midnight rather than have this non overnight experience "

 

Valid observation in my opinion. I was just trying to point out an alternative ( that we may very well do if we can work it out) and that Azamara was doing essentially the same thing that they had done in 2008. That cruise was a 14 night that did go to Egypt and finished up in Barcelona.

 

BTW, have appreciated your posts very much over the past few years and am looking forward to meeting you very much.

 

Ed

[Jade13]

Part of the problem may well be that October 19th is a Friday, and many, many things in Israel close early on Friday because of Shabbat ( Jewish Sabbath) starting about 2:00 in the afternoon. I would think that that would be a factor in the offerings ( of lack thereof). One possible alternative is to spend the night of the 18th in Jerusalem which would at least allow for touring on Friday Morning. The drive from Jerusalem to the port at Ashdod is about an hour, so I would suggest leaving the City no later than 1:00 so as to have some time in hand.

 

When we were on the Journey in Israel in 2008, we also departed on a Friday, but it was approximately 6:00 PM when the ship sailed.

 

Ed

 

That is a great point. They should never have scheduled to be in Israel on a Friday or Saturday. Not the best planning, but would have to know the original schedule and if the original itinerary had the ship in Egypt on this date.

[uktog]

That is a great point. They should never have scheduled to be in Israel on a Friday or Saturday. Not the best planning, but would have to know the original schedule and if the original itinerary had the ship in Egypt on this date.

 

The itinerary for Israel has not changed since its inception, it was to go to Alexandria after for a two day one night stay but is now going to Cyprus and Turkey

[Bill Leiber]

Hello Louis, Ann, Ed and other readers -

 

I'm sorry for your collective frustration and bewilderment about the reasoning for Azamara not to offer shore excursions on Friday, October 19 while the Azamara Journey is docked in Jerusalem (Ashdod) until 3:00 pm.

 

Actually, "uktog (Ann)" has been an advocate for doing so since the early spring so hopefully this latest information about the plans underway will provide you all some welcome news:

 

§ Our tour operator is developing two "new" shore excursions programs for Friday, October 19, 2012. Unfortunately, at this time, I do not have any information about either of them. (Note: the Jewish Shabbat should not be an issue since the "official" start is a few minutes before sunset and we sail at 3 pm.)

§ As published on the "Summary of Tours" for this voyage on our website, on Thursday, October 18 when we are in Ashdod for the full day, we offer six tours of which five are 9.5 hours or longer and one is six hours - Mount Moriah (AS75). We have requested our tour operator to shift (if possible) the "Mount Moriah" to Friday, October 19 in order to provide three choices on October 19 and then five on the first day.

 

You will be able to learn more information about the two "new" shore excursions for October 19 and the outcome of the shift of the "Mount Moriah" to that day, by the end of this week, at the latest, at which time they will be available for booking.

 

I'm disappointed that I did not have more information about the two tours under development, but I wanted to let you know what's "in the works" as soon as I could.

 

I'll update you with more details when I receive them.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[uktog]

Hello Louis, Ann, Ed and other readers -

 

I'm sorry for your collective frustration and bewilderment about the reasoning for Azamara not to offer shore excursions on Friday, October 19 while the Azamara Journey is docked in Jerusalem (Ashdod) until 3:00 pm.

 

Actually, "uktog (Ann)" has been an advocate for doing so since the early spring so hopefully this latest information about the plans underway will provide you all some welcome news:

 

§ Our tour operator is developing two "new" shore excursions programs for Friday, October 19, 2012. Unfortunately, at this time, I do not have any information about either of them. (Note: the Jewish Shabbat should not be an issue since the "official" start is a few minutes before sunset and we sail at 3 pm.)

§ As published on the "Summary of Tours" for this voyage on our website, on Thursday, October 18 when we are in Ashdod for the full day, we offer six tours of which five are 9.5 hours or longer and one is six hours - Mount Moriah (AS75). We have requested our tour operator to shift (if possible) the "Mount Moriah" to Friday, October 19 in order to provide three choices on October 19 and then five on the first day.

 

You will be able to learn more information about the two "new" shore excursions for October 19 and the outcome of the shift of the "Mount Moriah" to that day, by the end of this week, at the latest, at which time they will be available for booking.

 

I'm disappointed that I did not have more information about the two tours under development, but I wanted to let you know what's "in the works" as soon as I could.

 

I'll update you with more details when I receive them.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

 

Thanks a lot Bill, that is excellent news and we look forward to discovering our options for 19th. Your persistence in taking up our cause is really appreciated.

 

Ann

 

Edited to say just been to My Reservations and one excursion is already there for 19 th. a tour of Tel Aviv - you have worked fast!

[greeneg]

Thanks, Bill, for responding. We'll be standing by to see what the offerings are.

 

Ed

[gaudi1234]

Hello Louis, Ann, Ed and other readers -

 

I'm sorry for your collective frustration and bewilderment about the reasoning for Azamara not to offer shore excursions on Friday, October 19 while the Azamara Journey is docked in Jerusalem (Ashdod) until 3:00 pm.

 

Actually, "uktog (Ann)" has been an advocate for doing so since the early spring so hopefully this latest information about the plans underway will provide you all some welcome news:

 

§ Our tour operator is developing two "new" shore excursions programs for Friday, October 19, 2012. Unfortunately, at this time, I do not have any information about either of them. (Note: the Jewish Shabbat should not be an issue since the "official" start is a few minutes before sunset and we sail at 3 pm.)

§ As published on the "Summary of Tours" for this voyage on our website, on Thursday, October 18 when we are in Ashdod for the full day, we offer six tours of which five are 9.5 hours or longer and one is six hours - Mount Moriah (AS75). We have requested our tour operator to shift (if possible) the "Mount Moriah" to Friday, October 19 in order to provide three choices on October 19 and then five on the first day.

 

You will be able to learn more information about the two "new" shore excursions for October 19 and the outcome of the shift of the "Mount Moriah" to that day, by the end of this week, at the latest, at which time they will be available for booking.

 

I'm disappointed that I did not have more information about the two tours under development, but I wanted to let you know what's "in the works" as soon as I could.

 

I'll update you with more details when I receive them.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

 

Thanks a lot Bill for those very clear information, which are very very appreciated.

I have always found yours posts on this forum to be very useful and relevant.

 

And that was very fast since tonight, the 2 tours are already up on the website (jaffa/tel aviv tour and old Jerusalem tour). For us, we will be able to plan our wonderful cruise to come and those options are very much welcome and appreciated!

 

Louis