New Drinks Menu

[village77]

Thank you for checking the situation Bonnie. We will be onboard in three weeks and feel sure we will have a super time however we will not book another Azamara cruise at the moment.

[uktog]

Thank you for saying that. John, please keep posting and ignore the rude comments. More's the point mostly from people I have not seen here much before.

 

 

 

Phil

 

 

 

Well said! You go out of your way to help people and respond to the most trivial of questions. No one deserves that kind of snarking which unfortunately is becoming too prevalent on this particular forum. Stay, please but firstly concentrate on enjoying your holiday.

 

 

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[uktog]

Ann still plenty of Becks being served onboard.

 

 

 

 

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Thank goodness, I had visions that I’d be at Greenwich Asda next month and coming on like a packhorse [emoji4]

It does seem there’s a disconnect between ship interpretation and shore postings. You’re on the ground, I will go with your direct experiences, thanks. But I hope it all gets cleared up soon.

 

 

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Edited May 25, 2018 by uktog

[Marmaduke]

I apologize for the delay. I wanted to touch base with different departments, specifically Hotel Management and Marketing, to make sure I understood how these changes would be handled onboard the ships.

 

Here's an official statement. Hopefully it will calm most of your worries!

 

Any cocktail that can be made with the inclusive spirits is still included complimentary.

The only changes that were made were to the Premium and Ultimate brand list as some brands were added or eliminated based on consumption.

Additionally, we made a change to the inclusive beers offered by removing Beck’s and replacing it with Newcastle on draft.

 

I am confused, The official statement says that Becks has been removed and replaced with Newcastle, yet the complimentary list that Riocca posted clearly shows both Becks and Newcastle, and Riocca has posted that there is still Becks being served on board. Lets hope it stays that way and they are not just using up their stocks. I imagine that Becks is probably the favourite of Azamara's large European clientele.

[kjbacon]

I resent the suggestion that we could make this up to cause difficulties for Azamara. Over the years Cruise Critic has been a great forum for sharing information, as this change happened on our watch so to speak we felt that we should pass it on.

Recently there has been a culture creeping in of shooting the messenger and at times the forum has been a nasty place to be. So in future we will not be seeking to participate and leave it to others to have their credibility questioned.

 

 

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I cannot believe what I’m reading here and I am sorry that you felt attacked .... I was being sarcastic because someone else was saying that no one should rush to judgment on this topic, which I found absurd! It never entered my mind that you set this whole thing up by printing false menus etc.

[kjbacon]

I apologize for the delay. I wanted to touch base with different departments, specifically Hotel Management and Marketing, to make sure I understood how these changes would be handled onboard the ships.

 

Here's an official statement. Hopefully it will calm most of your worries!

 

Any cocktail that can be made with the inclusive spirits is still included complimentary.

The only changes that were made were to the Premium and Ultimate brand list as some brands were added or eliminated based on consumption.

Additionally, we made a change to the inclusive beers offered by removing Beck’s and replacing it with Newcastle on draft.

 

This is going from bad to worse. We know that at least part of this statement is false in that there is absolutely a change to the complimentary list.

 

I am hard pressed to be less impressed with Azamara.

[village77]

I resent the suggestion that we could make this up to cause difficulties for Azamara. Over the years Cruise Critic has been a great forum for sharing information, as this change happened on our watch so to speak we felt that we should pass it on.

Recently there has been a culture creeping in of shooting the messenger and at times the forum has been a nasty place to be. So in future we will not be seeking to participate and leave it to others to have their credibility questioned.

 

 

Please do not stop posting and sharing your cruising knowledge. In the very short time I have been cruising and reading this forum you have provided me with so much information and saved me so much time I would really miss you.

 

I am grateful you spent time on your holiday to bring these changes to our attention and hope you enjoy the rest of your time on board.

[WhitlocksEnd]

It would appear that the complimentary spirits list has been reduced from 31 items to 9.

 

In a moment of boredom this morning I have compared the two lists and the results are as follows:

 

Anisette

Apricot Brandy

Beefeater gin

Blackberry Brandy

Blue Curaçao

Butterscotch Schnapps

Cherry Brandy

Crème de Almond

Crème de Banana

Crème de Cacao Dark

Crème de Cacao White

Crème de Cassis

Crème de Menthe Green

Crème de Menthe White

Cutty Sark scotch whisky

Finlandia vodka

Gordon's gin

Jim Beam bourbon

José Cuervo Especial Silver tequila

Kirsch

Mount Gay Eclipse Silver rum

Orange Curaçao

Peach Schnapps

Peppermint Schnapps

Seagram's Seven Crown whisky

Sloe gin

Smirnoff vodka

Sour Apple Pucker

Triple Sec

Vermouth Dry

Vermouth Sweet

 

All are included in the former list and the ones in bold in the new list.

 

Hopefully, it may just be a case of misinterpretation by those who were responsible for putting the list together as the majority of removed items are liqueurs. As someone has already noted the most obvious omission is a vermouth.

 

From a selfish perspective the only disappointment is the removal of

Crème de Cassis which means that there is no way to enjoy a kir without additional expense.

 

I'm confident in the fullness of time this issue will be resolved.

 

In any event will still be able to enjoy my upcoming cruise without the necessity to dig even deeper into my pocket to purchase a drinks package!

[Lindy028]

I just wanted to add my thanks to Riocca for posting these changes. In the absence of information from Azamara themselves, it’s good to be kept informed of what changes to expect on our upcoming cruise. Who knows what further changes they may decide to implement without informing their paying customers!

I have to say though, that it’s about as clear as mud!

[Riocca]

Thank you for the kind words of support we were only trying to be informative, and were quite amazed by the negative reactions as from our point of view we were extremely happy with the package upgrades.

Our take on this and I stress this is only our opinion is that the complementary list has been oversimplified. Also there’s been a learning curve for staff, only the main liquor is listed however all the other items are still average in the bars. Bonnie is reply is correct if a cocktail can be made from included drinks it can be, and an included Kir Royale is no problem.

Perhaps Bonnies response she be printed on the menu rather than a condensed list of cocktails [emoji3]

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

This appears to be a mess. I cannot imagine the frustration and difficulty for the bartenders. As a patron, it is just too much trouble to keep up with what's included and what's not. It is a vacation after all.

 

 

 

This the way I feel, as well. Why do they make things so complicated. Either be all inclusive or not, but don’t make everything complicated by adding asterisks and fine print. It’s simply not honest.

 

I was looking at a brochure for Oceania and in big bold letters at the top it listed all kinds of things FREE or Included, but then at the end of each item came the parade of asterisks.

 

Well, this isn’t included if you are booked in this level cabin. And that isn’t included unless you pay for this. It’s like trying to read a legal document - colleges are going to have to offer degrees in cruising! [emoji15]

 

It seems nearly all the lines are doing it. They see that one of their competitors is offering something many cruisers want like airfare, or internet rates specialty dining or our subject here - alcoholic beverages. They want to compete but they don’t want to give up the revenue, so they say it’s included in their big bold glossy headlines and then add their encyclopedia of why fors and whereases.

 

When we first looked at our Azamara cruise (our first on this line), it was because it was a NYC to NYC with an interesting itinerary - exactly what we were looking for. I saw that the price included gratuities and alcoholic beverages, then I looked at the “included” list and I couldn’t believe what a mishmash it was. Half the items were things I’d barely heard of and certainly many I would never order.

 

I’m guessing now that they are ingredients in some concoction or another. I was happy to see that the Ultimate package is more in line with what we get and pay for with the Viking Silver Spirits package.

 

We haven’t done our cruise yet, and I’m sure we will enjoy it, but I’m thinking that Azamara is probably not going to be our cruise line of choice going forward.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

Thank you for the kind words of support we were only trying to be informative, and were quite amazed by the negative reactions as from our point of view we were extremely happy with the package upgrades.

Our take on this and I stress this is only our opinion is that the complementary list has been oversimplified. Also there’s been a learning curve for staff, only the main liquor is listed however all the other items are still average in the bars. Bonnie is reply is correct if a cocktail can be made from included drinks it can be, and an included Kir Royale is no problem.

Perhaps Bonnies response she be printed on the menu rather than a condensed list of cocktails [emoji3]

 

 

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Thanks for this post. I also had come to the conclusion that the list of complimentary drinks you posted was not a list of all the complimentary spirits, but a simplified list of the main spirits - pity they didn’t think to print that on the list!

 

I also thank you for your posts - this thread has helped to establish exactly what the situation is - no change to the included drinks except for the addition of Newcastle Draft beer (& probably the deletion of Becks draft - I guess they have to finish existing stocks). It’s also helpful that Bonnie’s official statement says that cocktails can be made with the (website published) list of included spirits. Although Cruise Critic members have said that before, I’ve never seen it in writing from Azamara.

 

 

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[sabbo55]

Maybe this would be too simple or too difficult, but if there were a complete listing of what is on the included list ( spirits, mixers..etc.), rather than a list of named cocktails, one would know what could be made.

 

If a gin and a dry vermouth were on the list , you can have a martini...same with a whiskey and S&S mix, you can have a whiskey sour…

 

I trust it goes without saying that fruit, olives, onions…and other garnish would be included.

 

… just my random thoughts on this.

[Riocca]

Thanks for this post. I also had come to the conclusion that the list of complimentary drinks you posted was not a list of all the complimentary spirits, but a simplified list of the main spirits - pity they didn’t think to print that on the list!

 

I also thank you for your posts - this thread has helped to establish exactly what the situation is - no change to the included drinks except for the addition of Newcastle Draft beer (& probably the deletion of Becks draft - I guess they have to finish existing stocks). It’s also helpful that Bonnie’s official statement says that cocktails can be made with the (website published) list of included spirits. Although Cruise Critic members have said that before, I’ve never seen it in writing from Azamara.

 

 

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Spot on HGC, as we’re not beer drinkers forgot Becks draft used to be in the bars. Newcastle Brown draft is in all the bars Heineken draft in a couple however bottles of Becks are still very much in evidence and extremely popular [emoji481]

 

 

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[uktog]

Spot on HGC, as we’re not beer drinkers forgot Becks draft used to be in the bars. Newcastle Brown draft is in all the bars Heineken draft in a couple however bottles of Becks are still very much in evidence and extremely popular [emoji481]

 

 

 

 

 

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It was the bottles we were worried about and had interpreted Bonnies post as there was no more Becks period not no more Becks draft. So a bit is still open to interpretation depending how you read things

Just shows how confusing all these communications and menus are for those of us for whom English is our first language. Heaven help the crew then, many of whom are new and not always clear on what they are doing anyway.

Suggest a new menu is developed that’s simple and very clear particularly on what IS included

Edited May 25, 2018 by uktog

[travelberlin]

I thank you also Riocca for your original post, because even though you did not seem to notice, you made as aware of changes in the offered list of included drinks.

In relation to those included drinks, I think it is a matter of transparency, to list all what is included and not just the components. We like our cocktails once in a while, but we do not know by memory what are the ingredients. Many times, I have asked the waiters what was on a particular drink for example a Mai Tai or a Mojito, or a Manhattan. Most bars would specify the ingredients of their drinks so that we know what we are ordering. Would that be so difficult for Azamara to do the same with the included drinks? I think that would be helpful to clients and to barmen.

Ivi

[ikelmay]

I can't help feeling that Azamara's bean counters (who I'm sure also count the beans on RCCL and Celebrity) know what they are doing, and are looking to maximise drinks revenue by following the Celebrity model.

 

 

As time has gone on, the X basic drinks package has become more and more restricted, resulting in many more passengers upgrading to the Premium offering. We've bitten the bullet and upgraded a couple of times and it is so much easier not to have to examine drinks menus and calculate what is and isn't in your price bracket, which brand of liqour can be used and which wines are included.

 

 

It would be disappointing to see that much nickel and diming on Azamara, but it certainly won't surprise me to see more and more exclusions and exceptions in the coming months.

[Spursgirl]

Thank you for the kind words of support we were only trying to be informative, and were quite amazed by the negative reactions as from our point of view we were extremely happy with the package upgrades.

Our take on this and I stress this is only our opinion is that the complementary list has been oversimplified. Also there’s been a learning curve for staff, only the main liquor is listed however all the other items are still average in the bars. Bonnie is reply is correct if a cocktail can be made from included drinks it can be, and an included Kir Royale is no problem.

Perhaps Bonnies response she be printed on the menu rather than a condensed list of cocktails [emoji3]

 

 

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Thank you John, the best news of the day is that I will still be able to enjoy a Kir Royale.

 

As there is no mention of Creme de Cassis on any of the bar menu pages you very kindly posted, I thought I might have a rather large bill on my June cruise.

[takemewithyou]

I can't help feeling that Azamara's bean counters (who I'm sure also count the beans on RCCL and Celebrity) know what they are doing, and are looking to maximise drinks revenue by following the Celebrity model.

 

 

As time has gone on, the X basic drinks package has become more and more restricted, resulting in many more passengers upgrading to the Premium offering. We've bitten the bullet and upgraded a couple of times and it is so much easier not to have to examine drinks menus and calculate what is and isn't in your price bracket, which brand of liqour can be used and which wines are included.

 

 

It would be disappointing to see that much nickel and diming on Azamara, but it certainly won't surprise me to see more and more exclusions and exceptions in the coming months.

Believe that you are correct that the exclusions and exceptions are just beginning!

Bottom line: we can put up with it or move on.

We are moving on.

[Grandma Cruising]

Maybe this would be too simple or too difficult, but if there were a complete listing of what is on the included list ( spirits, mixers..etc.), rather than a list of named cocktails, one would know what could be made.

 

 

 

If a gin and a dry vermouth were on the list , you can have a martini...same with a whiskey and S&S mix, you can have a whiskey sour…

 

 

 

I trust it goes without saying that fruit, olives, onions…and other garnish would be included.

 

 

 

… just my random thoughts on this.

 

 

 

From what Bonnie said, I think the complete list of spirits etc is the one on the website. The only change seems to be the addition of Newcastle Draft Beer, and the possible deletion of Becks beer.

Here are the screenshots of the website information.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

Believe that you are correct that the exclusions and exceptions are just beginning!

 

Bottom line: we can put up with it or move on.

 

We are moving on.

 

 

 

But there are no exclusions or exceptions at present.

 

 

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[jelayne]

But there are no exclusions or exceptions at present.

 

 

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If nothing has been excluded why did they go to the trouble of printing a new list of included drinks & spirits??

Maybe hoping 1st time Azamara cruises like us won’t know that we can get a Mai Tai or Whiskey Sour without paying the price on the menu by asking for it to be made with included spirits?

[Grandma Cruising]

As I said before, and as Riocca also said, it looks like the list that was on the bar was a simplified list, just showing the main spirits. It does make it more difficult for first timers who haven’t looked at the list on the website. To be fair, though, I can never remember seeing a full list of the included spirits on board. There was a fairly large menu with a list of included cocktails and a list of prices for drinks not on the included list. There were lots of copies of this on the little tables on the pool deck. I wonder if they are still there?

 

 

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[uktog]

As I said before, and as Riocca also said, it looks like the list that was on the bar was a simplified list, just showing the main spirits. It does make it more difficult for first timers who haven’t looked at the list on the website. To be fair, though, I can never remember seeing a full list of the included spirits on board. There was a fairly large menu with a list of included cocktails and a list of prices for drinks not on the included list. There were lots of copies of this on the little tables on the pool deck. I wonder if they are still there?

 

 

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Menus always reflected the website list. Obviously to get other drinks made with included rather than extra charged versions you had to know your cocktails.

 

I think the unaware will be caught out, for example if I was a new to Azamara cruiser who did not read cruise critic, I would think I will need to pay for a Long Island Iced Tea. My experience with ordering Cosmopolitans in the past year is that many of the bar staff would initially tell you you could only have it if you paid extra when you could have a version made with included spirits. This "behaviour" was particularly prevalent on embarkation day and was usually accompanied by a speech to sell you a package. When I said no, please make a version with the included spirits, I got it, although one chancer last month (a new member of staff) brought it with a speech that he had done me a favour and in future I would have to have the paid for version. The bar manager was alerted to this behaviour, but it was only because I knew what I could and could not have that I was able to dodge the upset bullet.

[kjbacon]

As I said before, and as Riocca also said, it looks like the list that was on the bar was a simplified list, just showing the main spirits. It does make it more difficult for first timers who haven’t looked at the list on the website. To be fair, though, I can never remember seeing a full list of the included spirits on board. There was a fairly large menu with a list of included cocktails and a list of prices for drinks not on the included list. There were lots of copies of this on the little tables on the pool deck. I wonder if they are still there?

 

 

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I hope you’re right but I remain concerned. I’ve found other outdated info on their website and find the website in general tough to work with.

 

The specific removal of martinis from the cocktail side and vermouth from the spirits side seems a bad sign for us martini drinkers (and not one that makes sense if still included since a martini is so popular).

 

In either case, I’m not looking forward to negotiating and playing games with bartenders and such on my upcoming, very costly vacation. Not my idea of fun or relaxation.

 

PS I’d like to repeat that I never thought the OP had made this up. I was trying to be funny.