Disembarkation question

[Charleyben]

Could anyone please advise me what I can expect on the final day. Azamara have arranged our transfers and flights and we are due to fly home at 8.00pm at the end of the cruise. Are they likely to just leave us at the airport with our luggage on the final morning or will they make some arrangements to make our experience more acceptable.

 

I have not had a very positive experience with certain cruise lines who really just want to wash their hands of you once you leave the ship.

 

Some lines put on a tour for those flying home late, others look after your baggage and allow you to do your own thing and transfer you to the airport at a reasonable time before the flight.

 

I would be grateful if anyone could tell me how Azamara fare in this regard.

[Wacktle]

In May 2014, our flight from Nice to Manchester was at about 6.30pm. Azamara transferred us to the airport after disembarkation at about 8.30am. There may have been a short tour and transfer available, but it would still have got us to the airport too early. Therefore we, and a few others, used the airport's left luggage and took a local bus back into Nice for the day. Fortunately it worked out well, but I have to say that Azamara (as lovely as they are on board) do quickly turn their attention to the next batch of passengers on turnaround day. This is where British cruise lines with dedicated charter flights excel, in that you remain on board until your flight time. Our next Azamara cruise has a very early morning return flight, so we won't have a problem (hopefully!). I advise that you have a look at the options and maybe make your own arrangements for a day's sightseeing, if you're in a suitable location. I hope that helps, and hasn't worried you.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Wacktle

[BBMacLaird]

Hello charlieben,

Our Land Discoveries desk onboard will arrange minimally one tour post-cruise with a drop-off at the airport for those with a late departure. The tour(s) are for a fee; OBC may be used.

[Azamarajunkie]

Could anyone please advise me what I can expect on the final day. Azamara have arranged our transfers and flights and we are due to fly home at 8.00pm at the end of the cruise. Are they likely to just leave us at the airport with our luggage on the final morning or will they make some arrangements to make our experience more acceptable.

 

I have not had a very positive experience with certain cruise lines who really just want to wash their hands of you once you leave the ship.

 

Some lines put on a tour for those flying home late, others look after your baggage and allow you to do your own thing and transfer you to the airport at a reasonable time before the flight.

 

I would be grateful if anyone could tell me how Azamara fare in this regard.

 

It can also depend if you've used Azamara to sort your pre and post cruise air, we often have a pre cruise Hotel and post cruise Day Room when our Air has been organised through Azamara and all transfers included. They then pick you up from the hotel with the day room at a reasonable time for your flight. We don't always do this as sometimes we end our cruises with a few days in the final port of call and arrange our own hotel and transportation. On our last cruise, we had arranged our own hotel for 5 days in Naples,FL; when we got our cruise documentation it included a day room and transfers in Miami which we didn't use!

[MrMojoRisin]

I am afraid this is my one and only real gripe with Azamara. We have always booked our cruises with flight included as then everything, including transfers, is sorted.

 

Pre-cruise is usually very good, with an overnight in a (usually) very good hotel and transfer to the ship in time for a leisurely lunch.

 

Post-cruise is often a different story. A few years ago we ended an Azamara cruise in Chennai. Flights back to the UK were late at night so we were given a day room in an excellent hotel. We had a chance to explore more of Chennai and feel thoroughly refreshed and relaxed before the flight home.

 

It is usually when the cruise ends in a European port we find the problem. I won't detail all the previous occasions where we have had to spend many hours at an airport, but our next cruise in June ends in Rome. Azamara put us on a flight leaving at 6.30pm, which would have meant spending something like 8 hours or more at the airport. As Bonnie said, there is a tour with transfer to the airport available - but this would cost £307.50 for the two of us. We have therefore paid extra (but less than £307.50) to change to an earlier flight. (Question - why could they not have put us on the earlier flight in the first place?)

 

Our following cruise in September ends in Montreal. Our flight home is due to depart at 8pm. I would hope that they will provide a hotel day room but we have been given no information on that as yet. There is a tour with airport drop off available at a more reasonable cost (£91 for the two of us). However, this is billed as a 3.5 hour tour (visiting places we will already have seen) so even this would still entail 6 or 7 hours at the airport. Obviously, we will have to make some other arrangement.

 

It is a shame that after what is always a very enjoyable cruise, the ending is a bit of a let down.

[Azamarajunkie]

I am afraid this is my one and only real gripe with Azamara. We have always booked our cruises with flight included as then everything, including transfers, is sorted.

 

Pre-cruise is usually very good, with an overnight in a (usually) very good hotel and transfer to the ship in time for a leisurely lunch.

 

Post-cruise is often a different story. A few years ago we ended an Azamara cruise in Chennai. Flights back to the UK were late at night so we were given a day room in an excellent hotel. We had a chance to explore more of Chennai and feel thoroughly refreshed and relaxed before the flight home.

 

It is usually when the cruise ends in a European port we find the problem. I won't detail all the previous occasions where we have had to spend many hours at an airport, but our next cruise in June ends in Rome. Azamara put us on a flight leaving at 6.30pm, which would have meant spending something like 8 hours or more at the airport. As Bonnie said, there is a tour with transfer to the airport available - but this would cost £307.50 for the two of us. We have therefore paid extra (but less than £307.50) to change to an earlier flight. (Question - why could they not have put us on the earlier flight in the first place?)

 

Our following cruise in September ends in Montreal. Our flight home is due to depart at 8pm. I would hope that they will provide a hotel day room but we have been given no information on that as yet. There is a tour with airport drop off available at a more reasonable cost (£91 for the two of us). However, this is billed as a 3.5 hour tour (visiting places we will already have seen) so even this would still entail 6 or 7 hours at the airport. Obviously, we will have to make some other arrangement.

 

It is a shame that after what is always a very enjoyable cruise, the ending is a bit of a let down.

 

 

That's a fair point, you're right, it's mainly on the long haul destinations that we've had the day room through Azamara, for Europe we tend to do our own thing and book cruise only through AZ then sort out our own hotels and transfers. We have a good TA that can get us a dayroom if we need one although on our last European departure in Rome last year we had a private tour that deposited us at Rome Airport at a reasonable time.

 

Agree that the ending is always a let down, but that I find that applies to all holidays!

[Charleyben]

Thanks all for your responses. I don't particularly enjoy a tour on the last day. I think I will arrange my own day room and transfer to the airport.

 

It's good to get a shower before a long haul overnight flight.

[upwarduk]

It can also depend if you've used Azamara to sort your pre and post cruise air, we often have a pre cruise Hotel and post cruise Day Room when our Air has been organised through Azamara and all transfers included. They then pick you up from the hotel with the day room at a reasonable time for your flight. We don't always do this as sometimes we end our cruises with a few days in the final port of call and arrange our own hotel and transportation. On our last cruise, we had arranged our own hotel for 5 days in Naples,FL; when we got our cruise documentation it included a day room and transfers in Miami which we didn't use!

 

Thank you for your confirmation that Azamara Air is on the same lines as Celebrity Air for UK customers.