Tips for Azamara Newbies

[blag]

36 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

They *are* half bottles though right? And from the pictures I’ve seen, there are 4.

Yes. They are half-bottles.

Just enough for a 3-day cruise. 🙄

Hic! 

[Mackdogmolly]

25 minutes ago, blag said:

Yes. They are half-bottles.

Just enough for a 3-day cruise. 🙄

Hic! 

LOL ! And cheers!

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 hours ago, blag said:

With regard to the 4 (as I recall, but it might be 3) bottles of complimentary spirits in a suite, if you ask your butler, he will change them. In this way on each of our cruises we have enjoyed 4 bottles of gin!

Hic! 

 

Why don't we just hold the Meet & Mingle in your suite?  [Can I come if I bring FeverTree tonic?]

[islandwoman]

Choice Air:  DH and I have 4 B2B cruises booked on the Azamara Pursuit beginning on May 11, 2021 in Tokyo and ending in Greece.  Airlines now have flights posted for MCO to HND  on our dates.  I would like to book through Choice Air, but when I search for flight options, I get this error message:  "not eligible - Back to Back Booking Type."  Does this mean that we have to book our flights independently? 

[marinaro44]

3 hours ago, islandwoman said:

Choice Air:  DH and I have 4 B2B cruises booked on the Azamara Pursuit beginning on May 11, 2021 in Tokyo and ending in Greece.  Airlines now have flights posted for MCO to HND  on our dates.  I would like to book through Choice Air, but when I search for flight options, I get this error message:  "not eligible - Back to Back Booking Type."  Does this mean that we have to book our flights independently? 

I've never been able to book back-to-back cruise flights online through ChoiceAir.  Always had to call.

[islandwoman]

Who do you call - Azamara or Choice Air? 

[nordski]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

Who do you call - Azamara or Choice Air? 

Personally I would call Choice Air.

 

In the past we have been able to book Choice Air for B2B cruises on the website.

 

I hope you are able to get a speedy resolution to your request.

[marinaro44]

7 hours ago, islandwoman said:

Who do you call - Azamara or Choice Air? 

ChoiceAir

[tbreeden]

Does anyone here have experience with P1 categories?  I know they are aft or forward facing only.  Just want to know if they are a lot larger cabins.

[Grandma Cruising]

Have you looked at the Azamara Cabins Thread. In it there’s a spreadsheet which sets out people’s experiences of various cabins 

[Host Jazzbeau]

All the 'P' category cabins were originally Veranda category.  P1 was VX, P2 and P3 were V1.  I don't believe the cabins were any different from the others.  The biggest difference was that P1/VX have the forward and aft-facing views and larger balconies – and the aft cabins have lots of complaints about engine vibrations and soot on the balcony.  The cabin numbers didn't change when they redid the categories, so the info in the spreadsheet is still accurate [but cabin size isn't one of the categories].

 

[nordski]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

All the 'P' category cabins were originally Veranda category.  P1 was VX, P2 and P3 were V1.  I don't believe the cabins were any different from the others.  The biggest difference was that P1/VX have the forward and aft-facing views and larger balconies – and the aft cabins have lots of complaints about engine vibrations and soot on the balcony.  The cabin numbers didn't change when they redid the categories, so the info in the spreadsheet is still accurate [but cabin size isn't one of the categories].

 

A good summary, although in our experience the vibration was an issue only on Pursuit, and then on long runs when speed was increased.

 

 

[uktog]

P1 on Deck 8 are also subject to a lot of noise from above

[marinaro44]

Vibration on the stern has only been a problem for us when going at full speed.  Noise from above only on Pursuit because of its different chairs on the Windows veranda.

[islandwoman]

How much should I budget for an Azamara cruise?  Of course, I know how much the cruise itself costs.  But how much will I need for onboard expenses and shore excursions? My cruise will be a total of 42 days, so I want to be sure that I have enough cash in my bank account to cover charges without counting on slow, unreliable or insecure ship's internet to move money.

[deysaz]

15 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

How much should I budget for an Azamara cruise?  Of course, I know how much the cruise itself costs.  But how much will I need for onboard expenses and shore excursions? My cruise will be a total of 42 days, so I want to be sure that I have enough cash in my bank account to cover charges without counting on slow, unreliable or insecure ship's internet to move money.

Well, no money needed for drinks or gratuities.  My husband and I usually give some of the crew who served us an extra tip.  You can put this on room charges, no need for cash.  You can also donate to the crew account that they use for special events for the crew.  We usually book ship excursions ahead of time and you can use a credit card for those.  Even if you book them while on the ship, you can still use a credit card.  We usually give the excursion guides tips between $10 and $20 dollars.  Anything you buy on the ship can be charged. You can do your own laundry, but dry cleaning is extra - charged to your account.  Hope this helps.

 

[islandwoman]

6 minutes ago, deysaz said:

 Hope this helps.

 

It does help. Thank you.  We will be using a credit card for everything we can, but since our 42 day cruise is really 4 cruises B2B,  I think the credit card bills will come due before we get home. I have our accounts set for auto-pay, but there has to be money in the bank to cover them. 

 

Does Azamara send charges to the credit card companies as they're made, or at the end of each cruise?   or (I wish) at the end of the final B2B cruise? 

 

If I book a shore excursion ahead of time, do I have to pay when booking?  If I cancel, do I get my money back?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Where is your cruise?  If in the Med, it's probably better to pay for things ahead, to avoid VAT.

[islandwoman]

9 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Where is your cruise?  If in the Med, it's probably better to pay for things ahead, to avoid VAT.

Japan to Greece:

Tokyo to Singapore

Singapore to Athens

Athens to Athens (Black Sea)

Athens to Athens (Greece Intensive)

[Grandma Cruising]

11 hours ago, islandwoman said:

It does help. Thank you.  We will be using a credit card for everything we can, but since our 42 day cruise is really 4 cruises B2B,  I think the credit card bills will come due before we get home. I have our accounts set for auto-pay, but there has to be money in the bank to cover them. 

 

Does Azamara send charges to the credit card companies as they're made, or at the end of each cruise?   or (I wish) at the end of the final B2B cruise? 

 

If I book a shore excursion ahead of time, do I have to pay when booking?  If I cancel, do I get my money back?

Not sure whether Azamara bills charges on a cruise by cruise basis or all at the end if you do several B2Bs. Hopefully someone who has done a B2B will be able to tell you.

If you book an excursion ahead of time you pay when booking, but can cancel & get a refund. For most excursions you can cancel up to 24 hours beforehand. There are a few with longer cancellation times (for example if they include an overnight stay). In that case it will say so in the excursion description.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Grandma Cruising

[excitedofharpenden]

Each cruise is considered separately so you'll be billed at the end of each one. 

 

Phil 

[Grandma Cruising]

21 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Each cruise is considered separately so you'll be billed at the end of each one. 

 

Phil 

Thanks for posting this Phil. I’ve added it to the spreadsheet. Here’s the link https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

 

Note that the spreadsheet refers to post numbers, but Cruise Critic has just done a system change and posts no longer have numbers. I will spend some time amending the spreadsheet to refer to page numbers rather than post numbers - bear with me - this may take a while.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Thanks for posting this Phil. I’ve added it to the spreadsheet. Here’s the link https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

 

Note that the spreadsheet refers to post numbers, but Cruise Critic has just done a system change and posts no longer have numbers. I will spend some time amending the spreadsheet to refer to page numbers rather than post numbers - bear with me - this may take a while.

 

Don't rush.  I asked about the missing post numbers and was told this was not a deliberate change and they are still working to squash bugs in the new design.

[Grandma Cruising]

14 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Don't rush.  I asked about the missing post numbers and was told this was not a deliberate change and they are still working to squash bugs in the new design.

Thanks for that, I’ll leave it a while, then.

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Thanks for that, I’ll leave it a while, then.

 

Just heard back:  the post numbering was done by a plug-in that is incompatible with this new platform.  They are looking in to whether it can be updated or whether there is another plug-in that would do the job.  So it won't be a quick fix...